The Undeniable Truth
by amazinglion29
Summary: Sosuke Aizen is tired of it. Knowing that his son is trying to kill him is slowly going to tear him apart. So while the intruders cross over the desert of Hueco Mundo, he decides to try and win his son back. Ichigo has no idea what's in store for him. And what happens when an unknown entity comes for Ichigo? Just warning, this story jumps everywhere at random intervals. No pairings
1. Prologue

**_This is a Prologue! So it will be very short compared to future chapters!_**

 _"With our combined strength, we can end this destructive conflict and bring order to the Galaxy!"_

"Lord Aizen? What is it that you are watching?" Gin and Kaname walked into the monitor room where Aizen was watching something and eating popcorn. He slightly turned his head their way and answered Kaname's question.

"I am watching Star Wars." He then turned his head back to the screen. Gun and Kaname walked up behind him and looked at the monitor.

"Isnt that a show you can only get from the World of the Living?" Gin asked as he opened his eyelids a bit.

"That is correct Gin. Now just take some popcorn and let me finish this episode before we get down to business." Aizen allowed the two former captains to sit in the chairs next to him as they reached the ending of the episode.

 _"Obi-wan never told you about your father..." Darth Vader said after Luke cut off his hand._

 _"He told me enough!" Luke replied, ready to finish him off. "He told me you killed him!"_

 _"No..." Darth said. "Luke, I AM YOUR FATHER!"_

Aizen nearly choked on his popcorn at the last statement and Gin was staring wide eyed at the screen. Kaname just sat there with a look you could only describe as interesting before the monitor went black.

"Quite an unexpected ending. Wouldn't you think Captain Aizen?" Gin commented as he turned to Aizen. Aizen nodded his head while thinking intently.

 _I'm tired of living like this! My own son thinks I'm his enemy and he doesn't even know I'm his father. Just like with Luke and Darth Vader. I have to get my son back, no matter the cost._ With that though of Aizen's mind, he decided that he would meet up with the intruders himself. _It's either now or never!_


	2. Shock

The three intruders just walked along this endless plain of sand, heading into the direction of an extremely large castle. They didn't care that their legs were getting extremely tired. They didn't mind that the eyes of a few hollows kept on following them. Their minds were set on one thing and one thing only: rescuing Orihime.

If it weren't for Kisuke Urahara, the intruders to Hueco Mundo wouldn't have been able to pass through the garganta into this endless wasteland.

"Ugh! If we keep on going at this rate, it will take days to get to that place!" An extremely agitated Ichigo cried out in frustration and sat in the sand. Chad and Uryu sat down beside him and threw him disapproving looks.

"You know Ichigo," Uryu began and shifted his glasses, "the longer we sit here and keep complaining, the longer it will take to get to this Las Noches place."

"Besides, we have no idea what their doing to Orihime right now. The ways they they're harming her could be endless." Chad spoke in a gruff tone, not really wanting to sit down and wait to save Orihime.

The three just sat in silence for a few minutes, allowing themselves to regain some of their energy. Uryu kept on saying that they should come up with a plan, but the subject was dropped every time.

"Hey Ichigo! Chad! Uryu!" The three of them jumped up and prepared for battle, but just stared in shock at what they saw. Rukia and Renji were standing not too far from them with smirks on their faces.

"If you guys are done moping around and being lazy, let's go and save Orihime." Renji walked towards them and had Zabimaru resting on his shoulder. Sode no Shirayuki was still in her sheath at Rukia's side.

Ichigo seemed to freak out more than the rest and pointed a shaky finger at his friends. "What... how... why did you guys come here?!"

Rukia hit Ichigo in the back of the head and glared at him. "Orihime is our friend too Ichigo! Did you really think that we wouldn't come and save her?"

"She's right Ichigo." Renji commented. "I may not have known Orihime very long, but I will protect any friend of Rukia's."

When their small talk was over, the five of them were on their way towards Las Noches. It wasn't even ten minutes later when they felt an immense amount of spirit energy, the energy notably coming from someone they all know.

"Sosuke Aizen..." Ichigo growled under his breath as the former captain appeared before them. He still wore his creepy smile, not as creepy as Gin's, as he stared at the intruders and his son.

"Ichigo Kurosaki, you were just the person I was looking for. There is no need to worry about your friend Orihime. She's actually on her way here." Aizen kept his focus on Ichigo, completely ignoring the others around him who had their weapons pointed at him.

"What have you done to Orihime Aizen?!" Ichigo yelled as he pulled out Zangetsu. Aizen kind of just stared for a moment before the fourth espada, Ulquiorra Schiffer, appeared with a healthy looking Orihime in his arms.

"I have brought you the trash like you asked Lord Aizen." Ulquiorra said as he set her down. He turned to Aizen and awaited for further orders.

"Head back to Las Noches for now Ulquiorra." Ulquiorra bowed to him and gave us all an unknown look before heading back to Las Noches.

What happened next left everyone with open mouths and very confused. Once Ulquiorra had left, Aizen decided to do the most humiliating thing to him. He dropped down on his knees in a begging motion and looked up at Ichigo with pleading eyes.

"Please Ichigo! Please put down your sword and hear me out! I did not come here to fight! I actually came here to submit!"

The shock was so great, that the entire group just sat in silence for a few minutes while giving Aizen a disbelieving look. It was the tattooed red head that was out of his trance first.

"Oh yeah? How do we know you're not just trying to trick us? It's obviously a trap." At Renji's words, everyone glared at Aizen.

"Alright Aizen," Ichigo began while putting Zangetsu on his shoulder, "prove to us that you aren't lying."

Aizen thought to himself for a moment. He didn't exactly know what to do to prove his submission, nor did he know any way that would be effective. A lightbulb appeared over Aizen's head but it seemed to be flickering. The intruders just stared at the lightbulb in question, not knowing how it got there. The light in the lightbulb suddenly flickered on and stayed that way before slowly disappearing.

"Gin, Kaname, come here for a moment." Aizen spoke through a hidden communicator that he had to sew into the cuffs of his shirt. A few moments later, the other two former captains appeared next to the kneeling Aizen as they stared down at him in amusement.

"You called for us Captain Aizen?" Gin asked. The intruders to Hueco Mundo had their weapons ready for a fight and all were in their shikai.

"Yes. Now kneel and follow my lead." Ichigo, Rukia, Renji, and the rest were staring once again in shock as Aizen took his zanpakuto and sliced the tendons in his arms, rendering them useless.

"What the hell?" Ichigo shouted as Gin and Kaname followed in amusement. Blood was running down the former captains' arms as they now lay limp at their sides. Their zanpakutos lay in the sand with their own blood on them.

"Now why on earth would he do something like that?" Chad asked as they all stared at the three traitors in wonder.

"By doing that, he has rendered his arms useless, therefore making it impossible to use his zanpakuto." Uryu answered the question and Aizen was relieved that they understood. It almost showed in his face, but he couldn't let them see that yet.

"Okay, let's bind them and take them back to the Soul Society." Rukia extended her arm and was ready to retrain them when Aizen spoke up.

"I'll go without struggle if you do one thing for me."

They stared at Aizen, unsure of what he was talking about. They had no idea what it was Aizen wanted, but they didn't really want to do what he asked.

"Alright," Renji stated, "What is it that you want."

Aizen took a deep breath, the nervous feeling he was waiting for finally erupting in his stomach. His eyes stayed on Ichigo like glue when he spoke his next words. "I would like a DNA testing done by Captain Kurotsuchi." Everyone just stared at him like he was crazy. Who wouldn't? Nobody wants to be tested by Mayuri Kurotsuchi.

"Why would you want that?" Orihime asked in confusion.

"I know Urahara never told you about your father, Ichigo." Aizen said.

"I know my dad. He's a crazy bastard that wakes me up every morning with kicks to the face and talks to the poster of my mother on the wall." He stared down at Aizen for a moment before scowling. "Just answer us Aizen."

"No, Ichigo." Aizen started. "Isshin Kurosaki is not your father. I am."


	3. Truth be Told

There was dead silence all throughout Hueco Mundo. The wind didn't even blow not did the howls of hollows resonate. Everyone, even Gin and Kaname, were shocked past their possible limits. Their minds couldn't completely comprehend what had just happened. It wasn't true that Aizen said those words, right? They were just in some crazy nightmare that seemed to take a toll for the worst. They really weren't in Hueco Mundo. No, they were back in the Soul Society sitting in a nice bath or drinking sake.

"Alright then." The first person to come out of their stupor sheathed his sword and stared at Aizen with uncertainty. "If it's a DNA test you want, a DNA test is what you'll get." Of course Ichigo didn't believe Aizen. Aizen was just some power hungry man who wants to take over the Royal Realm. At least, that's what he was trying to convince himself with. He didn't want to admit it, but deep down inside, he couldn't shake the strange feeling that Aizen is telling the truth. No matter how much he denies it, something just seems to counteract his belief.

"What the hell Ichigo?! Are you crazy?! How could you agree to something so calmly like that that?!" Rukia shouts after punching Ichigo in the face. She just didn't understand that strange feeling Ichigo is having. She isn't experiencing his uncertainty of the matter.

Ichigo just sat up and allowed a shadow to fall over his eyes. His friends were taken aback by his sudden deadly demeanor and somewhat backed off a bit. They didn't know what their friend was doing, but they sure wanted to know.

"Just let him dead the damn DNA test so I can get rid of this uncertainty that settling in the pit of my stomach." He stood up and began to walk away, but cast a glance back once more. "Once he is proven wrong, I can finally let go of this strange feeling and kill him myself." With that, he headed towards a new garganta that Kisuke Urahara had opened for the Captains of the thirteen court guard squads.

Aizen looked extremely sad, which had caught the eye Rukia and Orihime. They noticed this sadness and longing in his eyes as he watched Ichigo begin to pass through the garganta. It was then that the two girls began to get that same uncertainty about what Aizen said. Could he really be telling the truth?

"We need to hurry before the garganta closes up." Uryu commented, which brought Rukia out of her current state. She raised her hand and began to bind the three former captains.

"Bakudo number four, Hainawa!" A yellow rope then wrapped around the arms of Gin, Aizen, and Kaname as they began to stand up and follow the intruders back to the Soul Society.

In the Soul Society

Ichigo's POV

Sosuke was a complete idiot! Even I wouldn't be as dumb as that to let that crazy Captain experiment on me. Even if I was trying to prove to the enemy that I was his father, I would've rather chose Kisuke over Mayuri. I just don't get his thinking sometimes...

Currently, every captain and lieutenant was standing in a circle around the table Sosuke and I sat on. None of them believed him when they were told about the test, so everyone gathered here to see Mayuri perform his test. As much as I want to get rid of this feeling, I just know this isn't going to end well.

"Now, before I begin, I would like you to tell me your story Sosuke." Captain Kurotsuchi asked as he began to prepare vials and his computer system.

"Well, it was about a hundred

sixteen years ago when I was still a captain..." Sosuke began.

Flashback Sosuke's POV

"Captain Aizen, please bring these papers to Captain Soi fon for me. And I also need you to return something to her. I expect you back in an hour. We still have plenty of paperwork to do." Head captain commanded as he handed me a small stack of paper and what appears to be some sort of white ribbon. I bowed his way and began to flash step towards squad two's barracks.

Once I arrived, the only person I could see was Captain Soi fon sitting behind her desk. "Captain Soi fon, I came to deliver some things from squad five." I called out to her. To be honest, I was kind of giddy just being alone in the room with her.

She set her pen down and her eyes met mine. Her eyes were like these pools of wonder. I don't understand why I seem to have fallen for the Captain of the stealth force, but something about her really intrigues me.

"Ah, I see. Just set them down on my desk and I'll look over them later." She told me as she stood to stretch.

I did as told and placed them on her desk quickly and began to make my way out. Before I could open the door to leave, I was pushed up against the wall and something bound my hands together. My whole body was in a state of shock when I saw Soi fon standing in front of me with a smirk.

"Just by the look in your eyes, I can tell you feel the same way Captain Aizen." She purred in my ear as she locked the door behind her.

"Soi fon? What is the meaning of this?" I question. I wanted to think that I didn't like what was happening, but I did. I knew what she wanted and I've been craving it for some time.

"Why don't we have a little bit of fun?" She said in a seductive tone as she began to lead me to the beach room. I didn't even know how pleasurable my first experience could be until she began

Flashback Time Skip

I was on my way to create a Senkaimon to head back to the Soul Society when I caught sight of midnight blue hair entering an alleyway. Curious, I began to walk in that direction. From just a glimpse, it looked like Soi fon.

I peeped inside of the alleyway and saw that my eyes weren't deceiving me. Soi fon was standing in the alley and talking to a human with orange hair.

"Are you Masaki Kurosaki?" Soi fon asked and the woman replied with a nod. Soi fon relaxed a bit and they both sat down.

"You told me that you wanted me to do something for you?" Masaki asked. To that, Soi fon nodded.

"Your husband does owe me a favor, so I'd like you to take care of something for me." Soi fon then reached inside her stomach with a glowing light that made me flinch. Did it even hurt her?

"I would like you to raise my child for me. Being a Captain of the stealth force will become complicated if I have to take care of a child. Do everything in your power to make it believable that my child is actually yours."

Masaki nodded and Soi fon placed the glowing orb inside of Masaki's stomach. She stared down at her stomach and chuckled a bit. "This will be my first child as well Captain Soi fon. If I may ask, who's the father of your child?"

Soi fon sighed and looked at the sky through the alley. My heart was beating loud and fast. Who's child was she carrying? Is it someone else's, or is it mine?

"The Captain of Squad five." At that, my heart sank. For some reason, I didn't love Soi fon the same way anymore. How could I? She decided to give away our baby because she didn't want responsibility for it. With a shattered and broken heart, I began to head back to the Soul Society.

I wasn't sure if I should actually go along with my plan to take over the Soul Society, but now it's most certain that I will.

Flashback end. Third person POV

"Eventually, I found out about Ichigo and I was no longer fighting to take over the Soul Society, but to regain my son back. I hadn't known that Ichigo was my son until I saw such determination in his eyes. The determination that mimicked Captain Soi fon's perfectly.

That's when the whole room went quiet and all eyes were turned towards the red faced Captain of Squad two.


	4. Mini Kurosaki

**Soi fon's POV**

Damn. He... he saw that? But I was sure that nobody had followed me. I checked everywhere for some sort of spiritual pressure before heading into that alley. Was he really that capable of hiding it?

My whole face went red at the memory he just shared with everyone. Before long, all eyes were on me. some were wide, others calculating, some with disbelief, and very few had that look of knowing. I advertised my gaze from the rest and reprimanded myself.

How on earth could I have been so foolish? A secret relationship with another captain for a hundred years. Who would have thought that I was in a relationship? No one except those who seemed to know.

"Captain Soi fon." I hesitantly turned my gaze towards the Head Captain, who had his eyes open for once. I composed myself and allowed him to continue. "Is what Sosuke Aizen said true?"

As if that was the trigger to blow up a dam, I could suddenly remember every moment of the one hundred years I spent together with Sosuke before we broke up a few weeks after I gave up my child.

I feel like crying, but I know I can't. That would be completely out of character for me, so I take a deep breath and nod my head. "Yes it is Head Captain. But can I make a proposal?"

He nods his head and I can feel the disappointed stares of the Captains and lieutenants as I began to speak. "It could be possible that Ichigo Kurosaki had an older sibling, so there is still a chance that he isn't my son." If Ichigo Kurosaki is truly my son, then we have some major problems.

Captain Kurotsuchi just laughed and began to draw blood from Sosuke and a slightly frightened Ichigo. "Well now, we'll be able to tell in just a moment. As long as I have the DNA of the child and one of the parents, I can find out who the mother is. If Aizen is indeed Ichigo's father, then finding out his mother will be quite easy."

"It would be nice to know who our child really is, wouldn't it Sofy?" I shivered at the nickname that Sosuke gave me when we were a thing. I've long since forgotten about it until he said it once again. Never once have I wondered who my child really is, and I wasn't planning on finding out till I ran into Masaki in the world of the living again. But since she died, the thought never crossed my mind again because when you do die, you supposedly lose any of your memories of your human life. There are rare cases where people still have their memories after death, but those are only those who are granted permission from the Soul King. Even Head Captain wasn't granted such thing, so I wouldn't understand how Masaki would have had such luck.

"To be honest, the thought hadn't crossed my mind to find out since the day Masaki died." The displeased look that Sosuke gave me made me understand that I really should have found out sooner. But the past is in the past and it's too late now. If Ichigo is indeed my child, I have no idea what I'll do.

"So you did think about it before then?" Captain Ukitake asked. To that I nodded and he seemed to understand why I didn't afterwards.

"But why not just ask Isshin who his first child was then? He did deserve to know that his first child wasn't his own." Captain Kyoraku asked as he slightly tilted his hat.

"In fact, why didn't anyone bother to go and grab him?" Captain Hitsugaya asked. "He should be here to witness this."

"Hold on a minute!" Ichigo shouted. "How the hell do you all know about my father?!"

Everyone looked at one another and nodded their heads. It's time that he learned the truth.

 **Ichigo's POV**

What the hell is going on here? How do they know my father? They talk about him out in the open like he's a close friend. Everyone seemed to share glances with each other and they all nodded heads. What they are holding in needs to be spit out now or I will get even more pissed.

"Ichigo," Captain Unohana stepped forward with a smile as she stared at me directly in the eyes, which kind of freaked me out because she can be more menacing than what meets the eye. "Isshin Kurosaki is actually a former Soul Reaper Captain of Squad Ten, but his last name was Shiba until he changed it. Captain Hitsugaya took his place shortly after he left to pursue a life with your mother."

I sat there shocked. My dad, a soul reaper, and a captain at that. Did he ever see me change into a substitute soul reaper? If he did, how come he never brought up the subject?

All of this was a lot to take in. How was I supposed to react to that? I'm not mad, I'm just upset he never told me about it.

"My my my. This is quite interesting. Ichigo, are you sure that your in soul reaper form?" Captain Kurotsuchi asked me. The question took me aback.

"Well of course I'm sure! I am wearing the Soul Reaper uniform and I have my zanpakuto. So why would ask me that?" I was getting irritated with all of this talking nonsense. I just want to get this test over with and head home.

"Well I could explain that for you." That voice belonged to a certain someone that I never expected to step into the Soul Society again. All heads turned towards the form of Kisuke Urahara in soul form with a shihakusho and a zanpakuto, he wasn't even wearing his green and white striped hat. Everyone stared at him in shock as he smiled.

"My my. Kisuke Urahara. Would you care to explain why it is that Ichigo Kurosaki is in soul form yet in a gigai at the same time?"

At Mayuri's words, everyone went silent and seemed to stare at me funny. I didn't know what to do, I still didn't quite understand how my father was a soul reaper, but to add the mystery of me still being in a gigai just made this whole situation outright crazy.

"You see, since Ichigo is still in some sort of gigai, it's very difficult to do the DNA test. You can explain yourself after you take him out of it." Captain Kurotsuchi took out another needle and I flinched at the sight. I don't mind needles, it's just when this guy handles them I get a little wary.

Kisuke walked over to me and took out a neon blue glove like the red one Rukia has and put it on his hand. "Now don't move too much Ichigo, I'm still not sure if this thing will work yet." At his words I began to freak out. I hate being a test subject, but it's not like I'd be able to get far withholding all of the Captains and lieutenant s here.

Kisuke palmed my forehead and I fell backwards, hitting my head on the ground. "Hey! That hurt!" I yelled. But what came out of my mouth stopped me in my tracks. It wasn't the words in particular, but the way my voice sounded. It sounded so much... younger.

What the hell is going on?

 **Kisuke's POV**

"Well, it appears to have worked! But you still have your orange hair. I shouldn't have made that hair dye permanent, should've known it would affect your souls body as well." I laughed as I saw a mini form of Ichigo stand up from the floor and look around in confusion.

"Kisuke!" He yelled in such a cute voice that everyone began to laugh. "What did you do to me?!"

When I looked into his eyes, I was pleased to see that the eye color didn't affect him. His once brown eyes were now the same blue color as Soi fon's. "Well at least your eye color is back to normal."

"Answer me Kisuke! Why do I sound like I'm seven years old again?! And why are you saying such weird crap?!" When he yelled again, his spiritual pressure seemed to flood and it made all of the lieutenants and more than half the Captains fall to their knees. Now that he's in his original soul form, he had more than three times the amount of spirit energy he once possessed.

"Ichigo, calm down!" Renji shouted as he flopped in pain on the floor. It would have been amusing to watch everyone flopping like fish if I wasn't on the ground as well.

The spiritual pressure let up and Ichigo stared at his with his blue eyes before apologising. "Sorry about that." He looked at his older body in confusion before turning to me expectantly.

"I guess it's time I give you an explanation, huh?" I asked. Every captain nodded their heads and I began to explain the physics begging the new gigai.

"This gigai was created using pure reishi particles I had stored up in countless jars back at the shop. Once Masaki came to me, I used those particles and carefully maneuvered then inside of her uterus to form around Ichigo. That gigai was designed to conceal Ichigo and make it appear like he was truly Masaki's child. It changed his original brown hair to orange and his blue eyes to brown. The hair dye I used though seemed to have permanently stuck to his soul now, but his eyes are blue again. The gigai made it to where he aged like a normal human would and if the time ever came to where he was to become a substitute or a real soul reaper, his appearance would look like that of the gigai. The only fault to it is that his soul was aging much slower. It wasn't aging as slow as a soul reapers, but it was aging much slower than a humans. Which is why his real soul form is now only at the seventh year of development!"

After my explanation, everyone just stared at me a moment before their eyes once again landed on the mini soul reaper form of Ichigo Kurosaki.


	5. Daddy Kuchiki?

The entire room was completely quiet. The information was being processed in the heads of everyone there. Everyone was shocked and interested. This sort of technology was new to them and finding out that it was used on substitute Soul Reaper Ichigo Kurosaki just made everything even more interesting.

"Thank you for the distraction Kisuke Urahara. Because of that, I was able to get the blood sample I needed without any struggle." Captain Kurotsuchi said as he went over to the computer. Why he was still trying to do a DNA test was out of anyone's comprehension. If what both Aizen and Kisuke had said wasn't enough proof already, then something was completely wrong with the guy.

Soi fon was entirely shocked by the news as well. She could hardly form a word in her mouth, and yet she was so transfixed on saying something. Her whole attention was on Ichigo as she stared at his small form and his larger one. Kisuke was right, he did have her eyes, but the blue leaned pretty close to a dark gray blue color like hers. There was no mistaking it. With one look at his eyes, you knew who the mother was. Yet, Soi fon couldn't bring herself to believe that her son was sitting directly in front of her and trying to move the larger gigai of himself off the table.

"Now all we have to do is wait three minutes and the final results will be in." Mayuri said as he stopped looking at his screen. His attention once again turned to Ichigo. What went through his mind was abnormal to say in the least. He though that he was quite an interesting specimen, not that he doesn't think that about everyone, but he also knew that he couldn't perform experiments on Kurosaki. It's not that he didn't want to, but the fact that he knew he would be crushed by Ichigo's sudden increase in spiritual pressure that held him back.

All of the Captains began to talk amongst themselves and even Aizen sprouted a conversation with Captain Ukitake. But something wasn't right with Ichigo. He kept feeling like he was missing something. The more he tried to push off excess body, the more of an empty void his mind became. By the time he pushed his body off the table, the test was complete, but Ichigo wasn't.

Captain Kurotsuchi was starting to laugh to himself as the rest of the Captains waited patiently for the results. As he looked over the screen, he was surprised at what he found. It was truly remarkable.

"What did you find, Captain Kurotsuchi?" Jushiro asked as he stared at the cackling captain in front of him.

He cackled once more before turning towards the Captains with that maniac grin of his. "Ichigo isn't a substitute soul reaper anymore, he is a full fledged soul reaper with the spiritual pressure that is able to compete with the head Captain." At those words, all captains and lieutenants eyes went wide from shock and fear. If that is true and Ichigo is still developing, what will his spiritual pressure be when he's a fully matured soul?

"His hollowfication passed down into his soul, making it stay there forever and it appears he has completely control of the hollow inside. He doesn't even have to fight the thing anymore it appears." Once again, everyone was shocked. Not by the hollowfication fact, but by how just a simple blood test can tell a man all this.

"But here is something that should interest you all, mostly you Quincy boy." Captain Kurotsuchi said as he turned to the long since forgotten human friends of Ichigo Kurosaki.

Uryu pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose before narrowing his eyes at the crazy Captain in front of him. "Why should a soul reaper interest me Captain Kurotsuchi? After all you've said, it doesn't seen that Ichigo has changed in the least."

The Captain started cackling for a few seconds before he began to speak once more. "I don't even understand it myself, but your dear friend Ichigo Kurosaki is also part Quincy."

Silence. No, I don't even think you could call it that. It was a place void of any sound. You could no longer hear the chatting of souls outside the building or the typing of keys from the many computers around the room. It was as if time had stopped and everyone was frozen in shock. Some were frozen with open mouths and others with wide eyes.

Those words rang inside of someone's head. He knew exactly what they were and where he was. He knew all of the people around him except for the three that stood in a corner. But what he didn't know was why he was sitting on a table in the Research and Development. That when his eyes landed on a certain someone and his face broke out into an extremely bright smile.

"Oh, and Soi fon and Sosuke are indeed his biological parents." Mayuri said and then turned back to the computer to work on something else. That's when an excited squeal broke through the air and a flash of orange jumped on the back of Byakuya Kuchiki.

The laughing child just made everything confusing. Since he had jumped on Byakuya's back, he couldn't keep a smile off of his face while Byakuya just glared at the wall in front of him. Everyone just stared at the Orange haired child in question until most just got frustrated. They still weren't sure why Ichigo was so happy nor the fact on why he jumped on the Kuchiki noble.

But their questions were soon to be answered.

"Daddy! Daddy! Why are we in Mayuri's office? You promised me that we would go to the Rukon district with auntie Rukia and Rangiku!"

...

Byakuya had no idea how it came to this. Being dragged around the Rukon district by a child with his sister and Rangiku trailing behind him was the last thing he ever expected to happen. But it's not like he could refuse an order from the head Captain, so he just sighed in annoyance and allowed Ichigo to grip his hand and run ahead, making him falter with his steps.

He sure as hell wasn't pleased with the position he was in. The civilians were staring at him in question. Most just smiled at him but some raised an eyebrow in question as to why a noble was being dragged around by a child. That's when he heard people whispering and rumors start.

"Do you think that's his child?"

"He kind of looks like Rangiku."

"His looks like he's having trouble keeping up."

"I bet he married Rangiku and that's their child."

"He probably married Rangiku for her bust size."

"I didn't know that Captain Kuchiki was a player."

"I wonder how good he is in bed?"

"If he married and that's their child, that must mean he's pretty big to please Rangiku."

He had no idea how all of these rumors led to them talking how big his lower regions were, but he was pissed off and it was difficult to hide under his emotionless mask. Whatever happens now is so going to be blamed on the rest of the Captains when he gets back.

...

Rangiku and Rukia were giggling at Byakuya as Ichigo dragged him around and talked in an excited voice. Neither of them knew why the mini version of their friend called Byakuya his dad. They knew that the others were probably discussing this at a captains and lieutenants meeting currently, so whatever happens, they would be told about the situation by their captains once they head back.

"You know," Rangiku started as she heard the whispers and gossip, "I'm not liking how people think that Ichigo is my son. I mean, I wouldn't mind if he was, but them thinking that I married Byakuya is just absurd! By the way their talking they are clearly being inappropriate about it too!"

Rukia got a somewhat annoyed look on her face before replying. "Like you aren't inappropriate yourself Rangiku."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?!" The Orange headed lieutenant asked loudly as she leaned down in front of Rukia's face.

"Exactly how it was said. Come on, they're starting to get farther ahead and you know what Ichigo will do if he sees us not following." Rukia said and they both took off the catch up to the captain and the child.

...

"I now call this meeting to order!" Head Captain announced once all the Captains and lieutenants arrived, along with Kisuke, Ichigo's friends, Sosuke Aizen, and Isshin Kurosaki. The old man had no idea what kind of emergency the Soul Society had that they had to call him back, but he sure didn't like having to leave Yuzu and Karin at home, but Ichigo wasn't back from his beach trip with one of his friends."We are here to discuss the matter of Substitu- I mean Soul Reaper Ichigo Kurosaki." Headmaster finished, which caused Isshin to stare at him in shock.

Sure he's seen Ichigo in soul for, but that was only one time and he thought it to be just the trick of his eyes. But if Ichigo is human, wouldn't that make him a Substitute Soul Reaper?

"Since when was he a soul reaper? And wouldn't he be a substitute if anything since he's human?" Isshin questioned quickly before anything else could be said. He then pointed a finger directly at Aizen. "And I also heard from Kisuke himself that Aizen has become a traitor to the Soul Society! So why the hell is he here and wearing a soul reaper outfit?" He was actually more worried about Ichigo at the moment, he didn't know what could have possibly happened to his son that such a large gathering had to be made.

"Just shut up Isshin." Ikkaku said out of annoyance. He didn't know Ichigo's father personally, but he did know that he used to be a captain of squad ten. So his name was said here and there when he walked by their barracks.

"That enough." Head Captain stated, causing both of them to stay quiet and listen. "Isshin, your son was turned into a substitute soul reaper by Rukia Kuchiki when you family was attacked by a hollow and she couldn't finish the deed. Since then, your son was doing her job for her because he took a lot of Rukia's power. He has done much more, but it's best we save that for another time. Aizen is a dire need to this situation contemplating Ichigo Kurosaki. But before we continue, there is some news you must know." The head Captain actually opened his eyes and stared at Isshin. Isshin was surprised by the act, but waited patiently for him to continue. "As proven by a DNA test conducted by Captain Kurotsuchi, we have deducted that your son, Ichigo Kurosaki, is not your son, but the son of Captain Soi fon and Sosuke Aizen."

"That's not possible!" Isshin yelled and stepped out of line to stare at the old man. "I was there, in the room with Masaki when she gave birth to Ichigo! Even the way he looks is nothing like that of Aizen or Soi fon!"

"Sorry Isshin, but it's true." Isshin's attention diverted to Kisuke Urahara in question, rage clear in his eyes. "I helped Masaki in every way possible to make Ichigo seem like he was your son. I only did that because of my was something Soi fon requested. Remember that debt you owed her? Well, raising Ichigo has made that debt repayed and you don't owe her anymore."

"Can we please just get back to the meeting so we can go home?" Captain Hitsugaya said in an annoyed voice. "We've been here for a couple of hours and the first hour and a half we just stood here in silence waiting for you Isshin." With that, everyone shut up and Head Captain began to speak again, but was interrupted by the door opening.

"Man, you guys have been here a while! Mind if we join you?" An orange haired lieutenant walked into the room with the two Kuchiki's behind her. That when everyone held in their laughter without being noticed once they saw the sleeping form of a child in Byakuya's arms. He was supporting the child from the bottom and back while his head layed on the Kuchiki's shoulder. "An you'll never guess what happened while Ichigo was pulling Byakuya around! Gossip started about me and Byakuya being married and Ichigo being our son. Then it somehow lead to them talking how big his lower regions were and if he was good in bed. To be honest, I was creeped out by the whole thing!"

Byakuya had a visible irk Mark on his forehead as most of the lieutenants started laughing while some of the Captains were trying to suppress theirs. But when Rangiku mentioned Ichigo's name, Isshin looked directly at the sleeping child. There was no doubt about it, that was Ichigo. What he didn't understand was how he was so young in the first place.

"Quiet down!" Head Captain called out and it took another five minutes for it to be quiet enough to continue speaking. "We are here to discuss the new living arrangements of Ichigo Kurosaki now that we know he is a true soul reaper."

 **Okay, who should Ichigo live with?**

 **Soi fon**

 **Byakuya**

 **Isshin**

 **(Not Aizen under certain circumstances for the next one hundred or so years.)': But he will end up living with Aizen in the future!)**


	6. The Unknown Entity

**This chapter is dedicated to Heavenly God for giving me some of the ideas! I thank you so much for your help and support!**

...

All of the Captains and lieutenants, as well as Aizen, Gin, Kaname, Isshin, Kisuke, and Ichigo's friends, stood in two long lines for their meeting. Byakuya stood in his place, holding a sleeping Ichigo to his body with anger flaring up inside of him while glaring at everyone who decides to look at him. He didn't like the fact that he had to carry a child, no less of it being irritating since it was Ichigo Kurosaki.

Aizen glanced at his son being held in another man's arms. He didn't care that Byakuya's glare could kill, he was just upset that he himself wasn't the one holding him. Aizen had grown deeply fond of Ichigo since a little before he became a substitute soul reaper. Once he found out who Ichigo really was, he had set the arrangements for the battle Rukia fought with that hollow just so his son could freely turn into a Soul Reaper. Ever since then, he kept a close on on Ichigo, hoping that one day he could live with him as a family. It wasn't his intention for Ichigo to gain hollow powers, nor did he have any idea on how he was part Quincy. All he knew was now he saw his son as he truly should be and it made him happy that he could see him as a child.

Head Captain looked at everyone with squinted eyes before he finally began to speak. "Sosuke Aizen, Gin Ichimaru, Kaname Tousen, you have all relieved of your title as traitors by your good intentions leading up to this moment. But you will still face punishment for your traitorous attitude towards the Soul Society. Therefore, I will have you placed under house arrest for the next one hundred years in Hueco Mundo. I will assign soul reapers here to watch over the three of you and you will wear reitsu bindings until your sentence is fulfilled. Once you return back to the Soul Society, you will be allowed to become soul reapers again, but you can not under any circumstances become a seated officer. Is that clear?" He looked directly at the three wrongdoers as they gained this new information. Gin and Kaname nodded their head quietly and Aizen replies with a "Yes Head Captain" before the room went silent once more.

All of the Captains knew why the head Captain decided to remain silent, so they began to think about who here would be best to take care of Ichigo. The whole room was silent for a good three minutes before headmaster turned from one captain to the next. They all said what they believed to be right.

"I only think it reasonable that Ichigo goes and lives with Soi fon since she is his mother." Captain Ukitake said in a sincere tone. His thought caused Soi fon to glare at him, but Captain Komamora agreed with him.

"A child should grow up with its mother. There is nothing greater than a mother son bond." He stated, making Soi fon look at the ground to cover the slight blush from his words.

"I don't care who takes in Ichigo, just as long as they teach him to fight good so I can spar with him sometime again." Captain Zaraki said in a bored tone, not caring about the tension in the room as people voiced their opinions.

"Why don't we just have Ichigo live with Byakuya?" Captain Hitsugaya stated, causing people to look at him in question.

"That would be quite interesting since Ichigo Kurosaki called Byakuya 'daddy' when he woke up without any memories of his life passed the age of seven." Kisuke stated, causing people to look at him in shock. "Oh, I forgot to tell you that. This is a side effect to that gigai, but it was one of the unknown ones. But since he looks like he's seven years old, he has none of his memories passed the age of seven. What memories he does have were altered to seem as if he's lived in the Soul Society his whole life. I warned Masaki about the unknown side effects, but she insisted on me doing this for her."

Isshin was fuming now, happy that Yuzu and Karin weren't here to see this side of him or he would be guilty for his behavior. "This is all complete bullshit! I still don't completely understand the situation, yet you start throwing around this crap about Ichigo's living arrangements?! It's pretty obvious that he should live with me since his lived most of his damn life in my house!"

"Technically, no he hasn't." Captain Kurotsuchi spoke, causing Isshin to stare at him with a red face full of anger. "Since his memories have been changed, he has technically lived most of his life in the Kuchiki manor. So it's only reasonable for him to live there with his 'daddy' where he must feel most comfortable."

It took both Renji and Captain Kyoraku to hold back Isshin from attacking Mayuri. The clown faced Captain just chuckled to himself at the former captains reaction to his statement. No one even noticed how hard of a glare Byakuya was giving everyone. He didn't like where this was going. There was no way he would endure taking care of a child right now. Especially the idiotic child version if Ichigo who smothered his pride within a matter of hours.

"I agree with you Isshin. He should be given permission to live with you since you know more about him than any of us." Byakuya stated. His words were met with Isshin calming down enough for him not to be restrained as he gave the noble a small smile of gratitude. Byakuya replied with an emotionless stare as Soi fon began to speak.

"Byakuya is definitely capable of taking care of my son. I trust him with Ichigo's life." She smirked at Byakuya as he gave her a glare. This was for payback since Lady Yoruichi would rather tease him then spend time with her when they were younger. It was only fair.

"Then it is decided! Ichigo Kurosaki shall live at the Kuchiki manor with Squad six Captain Byakuya Kuchiki. I officially call this meeting adjourned." Head Captain hit his cane against the ground and everyone began to disperse, careful to avoid the deathly aura surrounding the Kuchiki noble. The only ones who dared to get close were Renji, Rukia, Sosuke, Gin, and Kaname. Renji and Rukia stood on both sides of Byakuya while the other three stood in front of him. Sosuke gave his a warm and sincere smile before speaking.

"I trust you to raise him well Byakuya. I know that raising Ichigo is the last thing you want to do, but here," Sosuke pulled out a small pouch and handed it to Byakuya, who eyes it suspiciously.

"What is it?" Renji asked as he leaned close to the pouch.

"It is a gift for Ichigo when he wakes. Maybe it will keep him occupied for the first few days. I entrust you with his life Byakuya. I hope you guard and raise him well." Sosuke then walked to the door where there were at least fifty soul reapers waiting for them. They were able to open a garganta before their spirit energy was sealed away and they walked into Hueco Mundo. You could tell that a few of the Soul reapers didn't want to go at all, but most were excited because they always wondered what Hueco Mundo looked like. Well, lucky for them, they get to stay there for a while century.

Rukia smiled up at her brother, who just sighed in defeat and gave in to the responsibility of taking care of Ichigo Kurosaki. She was happy to see that her brother would at least give it a try, even though he thought he was doing this completely without his own will.

The lieutenant of the the noble wasn't completely sure. He knew first hand just how dangerous Ichigo was when he was older. The way his spiritual pressure quadrupled once he became a full soul reaper was starting to get to him. If Ichigo was powerful when he didn't have as much spiritual pressure, then he couldn't even begin to imagine how much of a trouble this boy. would be to his captain and best friend.

"Captain Kuchiki." Byakuya turned to look at the head Captain and waited to be spoken to. "For now, Ichigo Kurosaki's last name will be changed to Kuchiki. If anything is to happen to you, Ichigo will obtain position as head of the Kuchiki clan, so train him well." Byakuya nodded his head, upset by what he was ordered but it didn't show on his face. He hardly showed any emotion in his features, but he was flaring inside. 'My childhood spat back out the monster that you see.' He thought as he remembered the glared he sent everyone. He really hated being looked upon like that. With that, Head Captain left the room.

Ichigo was still sound asleep on Byakuya's shoulder and he smiled in his sleep. Nobody knew why when the three that were left saw this, but let's just say Ichigo was having a lot of fun.

"Go on ahead Rukia and prepare a room for Ichigo. Renji, you are dismissed."

...

"What the hell kid! Who are you and why are you here?!" An all white teenager yelled as a small orange haired boy kept running after him with his king's zanpakuto in its sealed state. Though the white boy didn't know how it got that way, he knew that the kid was dangerous and more powerful than his king's zanpakuto, his king, and himself combined. What he didn't know was how the kid got into his king's inner world and was able to use his zanpakuto.

All the kid do was laugh and continue to chase the teen. A man watched in amusement through his sunglasses as the child chased the duplicate. This was an interesting turn of events, and he knew that. Maybe he can freak the white man more if he revealed something only he, apparently, knew.

He stepped forward and in between the two running figures, which caused the orange haired boy to stare up at him in wonder. The white teen looked at him in anger and confusion. "What the hell Zangetsu?! I was handling myself perfectly fine!" Zangetsu completely ignored him and leveled himself with the child.

"Hello Ichigo. It's been a while since I've seen you." Zangetsu spoke and Ichigo tilted his head to the side in confusion. When the white boy heard what Zangetsu said, his eyes widened slightly. As he looked at 'Ichigo', he could see that he looks exactly like his king with deep gray blue eyes. But he couldn't believe this to be the real Ichigo.

"Woah! You must be my zanpakuto spirit!" Ichigo cried and gave Zangetsu a surprise hug. Zangetsu didn't expect that and just sat there shocked. This was not the Ichigo he knew. But he recognised the spiritual pressure, so there was still not a doubt about it. "Didn't I hear Shiro say that your name is Zangetsu?"

Zangetsu's eyes widened for a fraction of a second before nodding his head. "I'm surprised that you could hear that, Ichigo. You still seem quite young, yet extremely strong. I believe that until I get used to you, you will be able to beat be in battle many times."

"Shiro?" The white skinned man asked as soon as he heard that name.

"Yeah! I'm gonna call you Shiro!" Ichigo called in delight as he let go of Zangetsu and jumped into Shiro. Shiro fell to the ground as Ichigo hugged him and giggled lightly.

Shiro glanced at Zangetsu, pleading with his eyes to get his king off of him. Zangetsu said nothing and just stared with an unseen smile before getting up and standing on a pole that overlooked the skyscrapers.

"Hey Shiro? I know your not a zanpakuto since I've already met my zanpakuto spirit, so what are you?" Ichigo asked as he got off of Shiro.

The boy who seemed to be painted in white glanced over at Zangetsu. Of course he would have told him, but he's seen an experienced the wrath of Zangetsu when he was mad. He wasn't in for another beating like that, more or less worried about the things he was forced to do after the beating. Nope, definitely didn't feel like cleaning every single widow on all of the skyscrapers again.

He keeled in front of mini Ichigo and gave his a sideways smile, much to his dismay. "Soon enough, time will tell King." With that, he ruffled the child hair, causing him to giggle. In all honesty, he was sort of happy to see this side of Ichigo. It may be fun and all to watch his king fight like a war veteran, but it was just missing something. This much happier version of his King was definitely what see me to be missing.

Before the two spirits could do anything else, Ichigo seemed to just disappear from their view as if he were never there at all. The two shared a look with each other before sighing. They did know and see stuff from the eyes of their master, but they sure didn't see this coming.

...

The usual stoic man sat in his room, pondering over what to do to the new so called 'Kuchiki' now that he lay sleeping. Byakuya seemed extremely stressed, and for one it showed. He had taken in Rukia because of Hisana's wishes. Because he was her sister in law and he couldn't just turn his back on her. But with Ichigo, he had no motive for taking him in. In fact, he wished he could just leave the kid on the streets of Rukongai and hope to never see him again.

Byakuya internally sighed and flopped his back onto his bed. He knew better than that. Disobeying a direct order from the Head Captain is, somewhat, considered treason. If he did that, he would stain his families name and that isn't what he wants. No does he want Ichigo to be the next successor. All he can do is hope that whatever arrangements are made for the orange haired shinigami happen soon or he might just explode from stress.

Obviously unspoken, Soi fon didn't want to care for her own child, that much put him on edge. It was important for a mother to be in her child's life, he knew that much. He knew that without a mother son bond, Ichigo could grow into something other than the boy he used to know. Yes he knew that Masaki had died around the age he currently was, but he also knew that it was his sister's that had kept him going without that bond. If only Ichigo had that bond could he be stronger than he used to be.

Then an idea clicked into his head. All he had to do for that mother son bond was get Soi fon to train him. As long as he get Ichigo to spend time with his mother, then that bond will form naturally and his stress could be diminished slightly. But that bond was the worst of his problems.

Before Byakuya could finish his train of thought, the door opened to his room and he sat up, quickly noticing the reitsu thatched entered. There stood the once sleeping Ichigo in, surprisingly, black silk pyjamas with bunnies on them. The moment he saw that, his mind drifted directly to Rukia. Maybe it wasn't the best idea to allow her pleas of dressing him for bed. But, at least he could say that he looks more like the child he now is.

"Daddy? Can I come in?" The seeming adorable child asked while rubbing one of his eyes. Byakuya couldn't help but nod his head towards the child. For some unknown reason, he wanted to know what's wrong. The strange thing, he had never wanted to know or even cared about what was wrong with Ichigo Kuro- I mean Kuchiki until now. He was surprised with himself, but still allowed the child to climb into the bed with him.

"Is something wrong Ichigo?" He asked in his usual monotone voice as Ichigo sat in his lap with his head on the older man's chest. Ichigo shook his head while he breathed in the Sakura smell of his father.

"No, I just couldn't sleep." He said as he pulled Byakuya's blanket up and over himself. "In fact daddy, I think I'll get a zanpakuto soon." His tired smile seemed to slice through Byakuya for a moment. His mask faltered for a moment a a look of... something flashed the man's face before he caught his slip up.

"Really? Why would you think that?" Byakuya just had to ask. It seemed like the right thing to do with the given situation, and he himself was wondering why Ichigo thought that since his real zanpakuto had been sealed by the Soul Society's central 46 until further inspection could be made. Head Captain Yamamoto had even said they decided to cut off communication with his zanpakuto so that nothing could disturb his growth process.

"You might not believe me, but I actually spoke to my zanpakuto spirit in my dream! It was really exciting! First I ended up chasing this white man I call Shiro, then my zanpakuto came forth and I found out his name is Zangetsu! Doesn't that sound exciting?!" Ichigo had said all of his in a rush of happiness and it took the noble a second to process what he just heard.

Once the information sank in, his eyes widened for a fraction of a second before returning to normal. For once, he was surprised that somehow Central 46 hadn't been able to fulfill one of their duties. Apparently what ever seal they put on Ichigo's zanpakuto wasn't strong enough and he was able to get through almost immediately. It was amusing to say in the least.

"What about you daddy? Why are you up so late? Don't tell me it was because of your paperwork again!" Ichigo seemed sad and tears formed in his eyes once the possibility that his dad had to keep staying up so late because of the stupid paperwork that they gave him every day. Ichigo's chest clenched at the thought of his dad sitting in the stupid and boring office every day with nothing else to do.

"Well, I had a captains meeting today, so I had to finish the paperwork I had before then." Byakuya had no idea why he was telling him this. He was surprising himself even further. There was no way that he could comprehend why he was acting like this. No, he despises Ichigo. He doesn't care for him and he sure as hell doesn't like that this order was given.

Ichigo yawned and cuddled further into Byakuya for his warmth. Talking to his dad had finally made him tired again. He wasn't tired because his father was boring, he was tired because his father seemed to unknowingly give of this relaxing vibe. "Daddy... I'm gonna... take... you and aunt... Rukia to... the training grounds tomorrow... so that way you don't have... to do paperwork... I'll find a way... to convince Head Captain... Daddy... I..." Ichigo didn't even finish his words before his eyes shut completely and his breathing stabilised.

Byakuya sighed and stood up slowly as to not wake up the sleeping child in his arms. He walked down the hall to the orange haired child's room and set him down on the bed before tucking him in. Byakuya had no idea what his change of attitude was, but he needed to check on that. But what Ichigo said made relief flood him for once. If he can get them to the training grounds, then he can hone his skills again or spar with one of the squad eleven members as a stress reliever.

With that, Byakuya went back to his room as fell asleep. But unbeknownst to him, a certain dark haired female watched the exchange with a small smile. She then fell asleep knowing that changes are going happen.

...

A certain female captain still sat at her desk this late at night. All of her paperwork was finished, yet she couldn't seem to move. She was slightly relieved that she didn't have to take care of Ichigo. She wasn't best with children, and she d it really like people too much anyway.

She knew what her actions today had resulted in. There is no doubt in her mind that Byakuya is probably planning the cause of her death, but she would prefer death over taking care of a child any day.

But something else was on her mind. During the captains meeting, she sensed this strange pattern of reitsu. It wasn't that if a Soul Reaper, hollow or Quincy. What was strange was that it seemed to be watching them and hiding as much of its spiritual pressure as possible. Whatever it was certainly was waiting for something or someone. what she didn't know was who or what it was waiting for. It was simply a... discomfort for her senses.

Soi fon shook her head absent minded and placed her hands on her head. She was just tired and paranoid at the moment. Nothing really happened earlier and there was no strange reitsu.

With that slight bit of reassurance, she went back to her home and slept with a wandering mind.

...

A man wore a hood with the cloaking device to conceal his body. He knew that wandering through the Sereitei like this was a danger, but there wasn't ever really any danger for people like him. He knew the the moment his eyes landed on Ichigo Kurosaki, that that was who he was looking for.

At the moment, he stood in a throne room everyone there wearing similar cloaks as his but they could see each other. No one knew what each other looked like. It was an order from their master to keep faces hidden until that one person was found. And it looks like the cloaked figure knew just who it was.

The man kneeled in front of the throne in appraisal before speaking up. "Master, I have found the one we seek. He currently lives in the Soul Society." His voice was deep, enough to tell that he was a gruff man.

Another voice erupted from the stool and a light male voice replaced the first one. "And you are sure that he's the one?"

The cloaked figure nodded his head in approval. "Yes sir. He has the reitsu pressure of one of us, but it's so strong that it was extremely hard to detect myself."

Chuckling came from the man in the throne before he stood. For the first time, he gave out a different order than the one they'd been given the last seven hundred years. "It is time to take back what was once ours. Prepare yourselves in case a war must be fought for our belonging."


	7. The Day Off

"Such a strange proposal Ichigo." Head Captain Yamamoto commented to Ichigo's plea. It surprised him that Ichigo even came to see him, even more so when he asked for the squad six Captain and lieutenant to have the whole day off with no paperwork. All of this just so Byakuya could train. "Why would you want me to do that?"

"Well, daddy seems to be a lot more stressed out lately and we decided to talk before we went to sleep. I told him that I would find a way to convince you to allow him and Renji to train instead of work. I thought that training could relieve him of his stress." The Orange headed boy spoke in a matter of fact tone. He found it funny and strange by the way head Captain talked to him. It sounded as gentle as the old man could get, and the tone didn't suit him that well.

The head Captain decided to think about it for a moment. This child version of Ichigo wasn't something he liked very well. What surprises him the most was that he missed the hard working and extremely determined Ichigo that always had a scowl on his face. Seeing Ichigo smile so much was beginning to make him feel a bit uncomfortable. But maybe if a deal were in order...

"Why don't we make a deal, Ichigo Kuchiki?" Head Captain asked the child. Ichigo nodded his head greedily with a smile on his face while the Head Captain whispered into his ear.

...

Byakuya and Renji were quite confused. At the moment, Ichigo was pulling their arms towards an unknown place. They had no idea where they were being led, but Ichigo seemed to be in an extremely happy mood.

Renji was more than disturbed. He may have argued with Ichigo a lot before, but he missed fighting alongside the battle hardened warrior. Now, it seems as if the Ichigo he knew had left without a trace. He no longer saw the same look in Ichigo's eyes. That permanent scowl that was always a part of him seemed to disappear only to be replaced by a smile that didn't suit him well. The only thing he really accepted about the new Ichigo was his sudden increase in strength. But even that was somewhat of a trouble for the red head.

Byakuya had no idea where they were going, but he knew what they were doing. Ichigo had been missing for a good hour this morning before he came barging into the squad six barracks and grabbed the two. The noble wondered how on earth the child convinced the Head Captain for this, but some things are better to be left unknown.

The noble and lieutenant had begun to notice the place that they were both headed. Both of their eyes widened once the mountain had come into view and they didn't know how Ichigo knew of this place. Sure he had trained here before to learn his bankai and him and Renji became allies here, but he shouldn't even remember being here.

"Daddy, Renji, head Captain said that we could train today without you guys having to do any paperwork! Isn't this exciting?!" Ichigo cried once they were inside of the cave. Ichigo let go of Renji and dragged the somewhat surprised noble to one end of the cave. He then ran back to Renji and dragged him to the other end before standing off to the side.

"Uh... Ichigo? What did you mean by 'we'?" Renji asked as he scratched the back of his head. Byakuya stared at Ichigo with an emotionless face in hoped to find out the answer to that question.

"You two are going to fight!" He yelled happily as he pointed at the two figures on the opposite sides of the created cave. "And towards the middle, a certain surprise will make your fight much more entertaining and fun!" The two older men didn't notice the child shiver somewhat as a cold metal pressed against his wrist and back. All they saw was that still disturbing smile as Ichigo took a whistle from nowhere and blew it, signalling the fight to begin.

"Roar, Zabimaru!"

"Scatter, Senbonzakura."

With that, the first round of fights were fought in shikai before the bankai stage was to take order. The small child had his plan in mind and he couldn't wait for the bankai fight to end.

...

Gin and Kaname were sitting in their assigned rooms back in Hueco Mundo. They both had two guards outside of their room and four on the inside. It has only been two days since they came back, but nothing has really changed between them and the espada. In fact, the espada have even decided to listen to the new soul reaper guards. What was even more surprising was that Nnoitra and Grimmjow even decided to put up no resistance to the guards. I guess that sight was something for all of the arrancar to behold and use as blackmail.

Sosuke was different. He had twice as many guards and he even commanded the espada to not follow his commands anymore unless they wanted too. It wasn't much of a surprise when half of the espada stopped following him. All that was left of those who were still loyal to him were Ulquiorra, Grimmjow (surprisingly), Hallibel, Stark, Szayel, and Nnoitra.

He wasn't even concerned about that though. Soi fon wasn't the only one who sensed that strange reitsu during the meeting. He knew that spiritual pressure, but couldn't remember who or what it was from. Whatever was there had come into Las Noches not too long before and was searching for something. Yet when he ordered the espada to find it and capture it, they couldn't find it anywhere. That thing left without a trace and it bothered Sosuke somewhat. He was worried that it was a spy for the soul society, but now he knew it was a spy for someone else. But what exactly were they looking for? Or, more importantly, who? Aizen had an idea on what whatever that thing was wants, and he was beginning to get frightened.

He wondered how much longer it would be until they went to the Soul Society. What his hopes were, was that his hundred year term would come to an end before they began. Or else he'd have to find a way to warn the Soul Society. Even if he has to be punished longer, he would to anything to save his son.

...

It wasn't that much of a surprise when Byakuya came out of the bankai battle with only a slight cut on his arm while Renji was nearly cut everywhere. All of those cuts are because of the great and powerful Senbonzakura! But Renji was upset, for more than one reason. One, he thought this would be his chance to actually beat his captain. Two, his whole body was in a messed up shape and it was hard for him to move. Three, he knew he was in no condition to see Ichigo's 'surprise' that should have happened a while ago. So what exactly happened?

"All right!" Ichigo called out in joy as he ran to his daddy. He glomped him in a huge hug that made Byakuya feel uncomfortable. He didn't like this because the last person to hug him in such a way was Hisana, and he didn't like it when the painful memories returned by the simplest of things.

"Damn you Ichigo." Renji called out and tried to stand. "Where was that surprise you said you'd give us? I sure as hell didn't see one."

Renji's choice of words caused Byakuya to glare at him, making him rub the back of his neck in freight. "Renji, such words will not be said around Ichigo or you will receive punishment. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Captain." Renji quickly said before turning ing to Ichigo once more.

"Okay you two! Go and rest in the hot springs and once you're fueled, I will show you the surprise!" Ichigo ran up to Renji to help the older man move. To him, Renji hardly weighed anything. In fact, he thought that the Mucher should actually eat more than he already does. Now that's saying something.

In order to not stain his own mind with horrific images that will shatter his childhood and ruin his life, Ichigo turned around as the older men stripped and put towels over their waist. The only time he looked back at the two elders was when he heard them sink themselves into the warm water. Ichigo managed a smile before going behind a rock fifty feet from the older people and looked over his bracelet while mumbling incoherent words to himself.

"Say captain, what do you think that Ichigo wants to show us?" Renji asked as he felt his wounds begin to close from the marvelous feeling of the hot spring. The noble opened one of his closed eyes and sighed before closing it again.

"Its not like we'll know until he shows us anyway Renji." Byakuya stated matter-of-factly in his indecipherable tone. Renji sighed as well and closed his eyes, mimicking his captain.

"How do you think he was able to convince old man Yama to allow us to do this? I know for sure he doesn't just give captains and lieutenants days off just because a child asked." Renji was thinking about this since their free day started. It was surprising when Ichigo barged into the room and shoved all of their paperwork into a trash bin, only to grab hold of the two shocked men and drag them out of the room. All he replied with to their questions was, "Head Captain is giving you two a day off to train!" It was pretty weird considering it came from a once hard working and determined Ichigo. He never took a day off, but he did train a lot.

"He probably struck a deal with the Head Captain. And Renji?"

"Yeah?"

"Stop talking."

"Yes captain."

...

"But sir-!"

"No buts Leon!" The man yelled at his subordinate, turning back around to face his most trusted man. "I said we will attack, but the sooner we attack, the easier it is to take what's ours. Besides, if the child's father is who we think it is, it's best to go now then wait. Make sure preparations are complete by the end of the season. That's when we'll strike. Do I make myself clear?"

Leon stared somewhat fearfully into his master's green eyes. He's never seen the man so desperate to do something, so much that he doesn't even bother to cut his outgrowing blond hair. His face was the only one anyone has seen besides their own and others not of their kind in a long time, and they believe that when they notice the faces of their piers, it will be when preparations are nearly complete. So until then, most cherish the face that Leon currently stares at. To be honest, Leon is starting to think that he is a beautiful creature.

Not something a man should be thinking about another man, much less a younger one then himself.

Leon bowed towards the younger man, no longer a fearfully look to his eyes and spoke the only words he could actually mean at the moment. "The work will be done as soon as possible, Lord Elric."

...

"Ichigo!" Renji called out. Him and Byakuya had been done in the hot spring for a goon five minutes and they couldn't find where the brat had gone. This child version of Ichigo sure was a hand full to them. But you do have to take into consideration that hardly anyone knows a how he was like as a child, so there is going to be surprise after surprise.

An orange blob came running at the two who had their backs turned as they waited for the child. Of course Renji was knocked to the the ground when Ichigo tackled him, causing the small child to laugh.

"I'm sorry! I just had to make sure the surprise worked before I show it to you and daddy." A goofy grin flew across Ichigo's face as the two toppled over boys stood up. Renji dusted himself off and waited for Ichigo to speak. The young male looked over at Byakuya, who had his eyebrow raised in question. "Alright daddy, do you want to go first or do you want Renji to?"

"Wait a minute Ichigo! That ain't fair! I was so looking forward to the surprise, so you should let me do it!" Renji cried out with a pleading look on his face and slumped shoulders.

"No! I wanna give daddy a choice Renji since I did this for him anyway! You should be lucky I convinced head Captain to let you come too. So shut the hole that makes the words or I'll shut it for you!" Ichigo glared and it made Renji visibly cringe under the stare. Who would've thought that a glaring child could look so scary?

"I'll just watch for now Ichigo." Byakuya stated and attached Senbonzakura to his waist. "Let Renji go first. He needs to be taught a lesson, and I believe you can give it to him."

Renji stared at Byakuya with the widest eyes you have ever seen. It was a wonder how they didn't pop out of that squashed skull of his. "You can't be serious captain? You're gonna let Ichigo fight and risk getting hurt?"

"It doesn't matter Renji! Daddy is letting you go first so deal with it! Besides, since daddy is going second, he'll be having the second surprise. So get ready Renji and I'll show you my surprise!" Renji sighs and goes to the other side of the cave while Ichigo went a few feet away from Byakuya.

"So... uh... do you want me in my shikai or bankai?" Renji asked. Ichigo put his fingers over his bottom lip and began to rub with a thoughtful look on his face.

"Hmmm... Bankai! If I can beat you in bankai, then I know for sure that I have a chance at beating daddy for once!" A determined look etched across Ichigo's face. A smirk appeared on Renji's once he saw it.

"Now that's what I want to hear... Bankai, Soo Zabimaru!" Renji's baboon snake appeared as he waited for Ichigo to make his surprise appear from... wherever it comes from. Ichigo took a deep breath at stared at the bracelet he wore with a cross on it.

~~Flashback~~

Ichigo woke up and noticed that he was back home in his room. It was dark outside and the moon was in the middle of the sky, casting a soft glow through his window. He didn't remember falling asleep, but he did like the game he played with Shiro and the fact that he actually talked and heard his zanpakuto spirit, Zangetsu.

The young child sat there for a few minutes, hoping that sleep would begin to take over, yet it wouldn't. The child strawberry sighed to himself and began to remove the covers from his bed when he heard something soft hit the floor. He peered over the side of his bed and saw a small bag lying on the cold, hard floor.

He got out of bed and reached down to pick it up. He could hardly reach it and growled in frustration. He tried to grab it by sitting back on his bed, then laying down, then standing up and reaching for it, but he couldn't grab it. His pounded his foot against the floor and crossed his arms when something landed on his arm. He opened one of his eyes to see the bag just sitting there, in his arm, not moving, and no longer so far away.

Not even caring or wondering how the heck it jumped from the floor, he sat back down on his beg and opened the small pouch. Inside of it was a bracelet with a silver cross charm on it and a note that sat right next to it. He placed the bracelet on his wrist before grabbing the note and reading it.

'Dear Ichigo,

You may be wondering what that bracelet is. Well, that there is the bracelet that will help you channel all of your Quincy powers and allow you to train yourself to be stronger with them. Make sure to put it on so that way you can train to use your Quincy powers as soon as you'd like! If you want to activate your powers, the way will come to you naturally once you try. Good luck!

Sincerely, a friend'

Ichigo stared at the bracelet in awe as the moonlight shined on a small gem in the center of the cross, allowing it to glow a bright green color. That when Ichigo had an idea, one that would help him and his daddy as long as everything was set into motion correctly.

The small child then began his small journey to the bedroom of the man we all know and love, Byakuya Kuchiki.

~~Flashback End~~

Ichigo glanced up and Renji with a smirk and put the cross in the palm of his hand. He raised his arm out straight and gave his opponent a questioning look. "Are you ready for the beating of your life Renji?" He called out in determination.

The man on the opposite side of the room scoffed and got into battle stance. "Bring it on Kur-Kuchiki!" Renji almost slipped, but was able to quickly recover and smirk at the child.

"Alright. Now don't hold back in me Renji!" Ichigo let go of the cross and it seemed to fall in slow motion as he allowed the sunlight to pierce the green gem. (In case you are wondering, no this isn't going to be the same as Ichigo's real Quincy powers, so deal with it.) A green light exploded around Ichigo as his shihakusho changed. His clothes now looked like his bankai but white with light green trimming. There were two green lines running down both of his sleeves and he was holding a light green glowing reitsu powered bow in his right hand.

Renji nor Byakuya could move because of the shock they were experiencing. They ha don't found out yesterday that Ichigo had some sort of Quincy power inside of him, yet they had no idea that he could already wield it. If this is only one of his surprises, then what is his other surprise?

Ichigo pulled back a reitsu arrow from nowhere and hit Renji's bankai, causing one of its bone drag me Tskune to crack into pieces. Renji still didn't move since he was now staring at the shattered pieces of bone fragment on the ground. He hadn't noticed Ichigo in the air in jumping behind him until the child began to speak.

"Don't let your guard down Renji or your opponent will get a chance to strike!" He then released a warning shot and it scratched deeply into Renji's shoulder.

With actual pain being inflicted upon his body, Renji was knocked out of his stupor and tried to swing Zabimaru at Ichigo, but Ichigo seemed to disappear in thin air. The older man looked around frantically but couldn't see the young shinigami, or Quincy, whatever!

Renji narrowly dodged an arrow that came from him in the front, but it managed to cut the sleeve of his shihakusho. He looked at where the arrow came from and saw the small orange top standing on the ground with a smile.

"Hey Renji, do you want this to be a real fight or just for play. I must say, I've never seen you so panicked. Is the fact that I could beat you this time starting to get to you?" An all knowing smirks played across Ichigo's lips as he saw the red heads eyes harden.

"Ichigo Kuchiki, I will beat you!" Renji yelled and began to attack Ichigo like he would an arrancar.

...

The sudden change in spiritual pressure caught the eye of Kisuke Urahara, who was residing in the Shihouin household. He was looking at a newspaper from the world of the living when he felt Ichigo's spiritual pressure shift. He knew that Ichigo was fighting, but he wasn't fighting as a soul reaper. The only other person that he could match up with similar spiritual pressure is the human Quincy, Uryu Ishida.

He stood up from the ground and looked over at Yoruichi, who sat on the other side of the room. They both shared a look that had given them a chance for a silent conversation in a few seconds before they began to flash step towards the area of the fight.

But once they got there, they had to call on Orihime from the world of the living from the damage that had been done. What had happened was something that not even the Squad four captain, Retsu Unohana, could fix.

By then, they also found something unnerving. The noble, Byakuya Kuchiki, was passed out cold and stiff on the ground. The only person able to even move was Ichigo, who only had a cut on his finger from using his bow so much.

"Aww man! I never got to show daddy his surprise!" Ichigo cried as Yoruichi and Kisuke sweatdropped.


	8. Sealing the Deal

Ichigo was making his way over to the Head Captain's office once he got looked at by Captain Unohana. He came out with just that small scratch and the fourth division captain nearly fell over herself once she saw the damage the boy dealt on the captain and lieutenant of squad six.

He stepped in front of the head captains door and waited, raising his spiritual pressure slightly to announce his arrival. The door opened and a man with gray hair allowed him to come in. Ichigo nodded his way and stepped into the room where the head Captain was staring out of the balcony.

The head Captain turned his head a little once Ichigo stepped in and saw the young boy waiting to be spoken to while standing in the middle of the floor. He turned to the orange he added child and opened his eyes slightly to show Ichigo he was ready.

"Ichigo Kuchiki, are you ready to fulfill our deal?" The head Captain asked in his gruff voice. Ichigo took a noticeable deep breath and nodded his head once. "Then let us be on our way."

...

"Nemu!" A clown faced Captain called as he searched through all of his vials and syringes. A petite woman entered the room where her captain was and looked at him scramble through everything.

"You called for me?" She asked and the captain grumbled under his breath as he went to the computer and typed things down quickly before going towards his testing table and searching through each drawer.

"The serum, Nemu! Where is the serum at?" He asked in an agitated tone of voice as he stepped close to the lieutenant.

The woman pulled the syringe o it of her top right breast clothing strap and gave her captain the orange liquid. "You had me hold onto it so that way when he arrives you would be able to start immediately."

"Well I need it now so I can inject some into another person before it goes into him! That was the deal I made so that way I can preform an experiment on one of the arrancar. I heard the arrancar picked for me was a scientist too. Let's see how he can cope with being experimented on instead of doing the experimenting."

Captain Kurotsuchi then left the Research and development Department and made a quick stop at the Squad four barracks before his guests would arrive.

...

"Captain Kurotsuchi left just a little bit ago. He will be back shortly, so if you would please wait?" The lieutenant said as she bowed to their expected visitors. They just nodded and waited as the sounds of buttons and computer noises filled their ears.

The curious child was itching to go up to one of the computers and press a button. He wiggled his fingers in anticipation and turned towards the old man. Of course the elder knew what he wanted to do, but he also didn't want to get on the crazy scientists bad side. But maybe it would be worth it...

With a nod if approval, Ichigo went to one of the monitors with the most buttons and saw what looked like security camera videos all over the large screen. He turned back and saw a very scary sight, the head Captain glaring at the screen and mumbling to himself.

Ichigo looked over each button, carefully deciding on which one would be the most interesting to press. As he scrolled through the red and green buttons, he came across a pink button that seemed pretty interesting. He lifted a finger and pressed down on the button and quickly looked back up at the monitor. The only screen with funny activity was the one with Izuru sitting in a tub and his whole skin going red, causing him to shout out profanities as he looked at the boiling bath water in question. Ichigo laughed loudly and pressed the button again, this time causing the water in the tub to shoot up like a geyser and hit Izuru in the face. The blond screamed and started shuffling backwards, only to fall out of the window and onto the ground where passersby stared at him in shock. Not only was he upside down, but his towel that was still connected to his waist ended up folding up. Some people ended up laughing at him while others screamed. When Izuru saw what had happened he screamed as well and tried to scramble back through the open window.

Never in his life has Ichigo laughed so much. All he was happy about was the situation Izuru was in and the fact that the angle of the camera didn't ruin his life.

By the time Ichigo made it back to the head captains side, still trying to hold in his laughter, Captain Kurotsuchi came waltzing into the room with a syringe in hand. There was a small drop of the orange liquid of the tip of the needle and he walked right over to his two visitors.

"If you had to wait long, just blame captain Unohana. She only let me see Captain Kuchiki after I said it was a favor from you head Captain. Even then she was still reluctant." He motioned for Ichigo to sit on his testing table and the young child hesitantly did so.

"So the deal I made with head Captain involves something with this serum, right?" Ichigo asked.

"Of course! This serum will have a surprising effect that maybe one day you will learn to find out. But for now, let's just see if your okay with needles." The clown faced scientist positioned the needle at Ichigo's inner elbow and the orange fluid was injected into his veins. His vision became blurry and he fell onto the table, blacking out.

...

Byakuya woke up to find himself in one of the medical beds in squad four barracks. His head was pounding and he was confused on how he got there. He then remembered that Ichigo had shown his Quincy powers to him for the first time yesterday and completely defeated Renji as if it were nothing. Well, he didn't see the end of the fight, but after seeing an extremely bandaged up Renji in a bed across the room, he knew the outcome.

The only question was, whee was Ichigo? The captain looked around furiously for the orange headed boy but he couldn't see him in the room. He was about to have a panic attack when Captain Unohana entered the room. He quickly disguised his frantic emotion and stared blankly at the woman in front of him. When she saw that the noble was awake, she gave him a closed eyed smile.

"Its good t see you awake Captain Kuchiki. How are you feeling?" She walked over to his bedside and he just stayed where he was.

"Where is Ichigo?" The question came out emotionless, but the healer knew better than that. She just opened her eyes and sat in the chair next to his bed.

"He is currently being watched over by Rukia until you return to the manor. You've been out for at least five hours now. My guess is Ichigo is waiting for you to return. He seemed pretty upset when you fell unconscious on the battle field like that." He just nodded his head and shifted his body so his feet hung over the edge of the bed. "Where are you going?"

Byakuya stood up completely before he answered. "I am a noble and it's my duty to watch over the squad six members, for I am their captain. Besides, I do have a child that I have to look after and i wouldn't want Rukia to start carrying such a burden." Before Retsu had the chance to speak, the noble flash stepped out the window.

"For a noble, he sure doesn't use doors like he's supposed to." With that, the captain went over to the injured tattooed man and began to heal a few more of his injuries.

...

The head Captain studied the captain of squad twelve. The man needs to be punished for watching, well, spying on everyone in the Sereitei. Mayuri didn't seem to like the face that he was caught, much less that it was Ichigo that ended up finding the place and pressing a button on the panel. Kids these days need to learn not to mess with other people's things.

"The punishment you will receive is a two week suspension from entering the research and development department and you have to stand in front of everyone in squad three and say that what happened to Lieutenant Kira was your fault...," Mayuri was relieved that it wasn't worse, but he couldn't be more wrong, "... naked."

However pale Captain Kurotsuchi was before then, let's just say he seemed to be transparent because of how much whiter he got.

...

 **I'm so sorry that I didn't update at the usual time and that the chapter is so much shorter, but I have an over summer book project due on August 31 and I haven't started it yet. Besides, with school coming up, my updates will get less frequent. I'll try to update again soon. That is, if my book project can get done soon.**

 **~amazinglion29**


	9. The Deal's Details

The moment Byakuya entered the manor, he changed. His emotionless mask seemed to fade away and a smile appeared on his face as he searched through the house silently. He crouched down playfully in each room as he looked for a certain someone.

When he came across the living room, he jumped out and grabbed hold of the orange haired child and growled playfully and began to blow on his stomach. The younger boy laughed and hugged Byakuya once he set him down.

"Yay, Daddy's home!" Byakuya laughed. He actually laughed. His hand ruffled the young boy's hair and the child giggled.

"Did you have to wait long Ichigo?" The older man asked as they walked out of the living room. The younger boy shook his head and smiled up at the noble.

"Nope! I actually just woke up from a nap I had after training today. I was hoping to show you my second surprise! Can I show you daddy? It's not yet time for dinner!" The Orange headed child pleaded with a pouting lip and puppy dog eyes.

Byakuya nodded his head with a smile once they left the room. There was a pair of eyes just staring at the two in shock as she sat on the carpet. She blinked a couple of times after she realized that her brother hadn't even noticed her presence. The moment she saw the playful Byakuya, she knew something was up. She didn't know what was going on, but she suspected that the head Captain knew something.

She stood from her seated position and flash stepped towards the squad one barracks.

Ichigo and Byakuya stood inside the cave once again. Byakuya was extremely happy to be spending time with the young Kuro- Kuchiki and couldn't help but allow a small smile to form on his face. The young child smiled brightly and pulled a long piece of metal from the inside of his shihakusho.

Of course, I bet your wondering why the heck Byakuya is smiling because of a child he wanted nothing to do with. So to answer that question, let's head over to the Research and Development Department, where the head Captain and Mayuri Kurotsuchi reside.

...

The head Captain stood behind the crazy scientist as he looked over the data on his computer. The stats of Byakuya and Ichigo Kuchiki were collected on the computer screen and he analyzed their current progress.

The screen showed Captain Kuchiki's form standing next to a cluster of data. There were bar graphs of many colors and clusters of dots on a chart. There was a continuous line of words that kept growing as progress was made. And, more surprisingly, there was an emotion bar that kept rising and rising.

"Captain Kurotsuchi, what is the status of Captain Kuchiki's progress?" The head captains gruff voice entered the ears of the clown faced Captain. A chuckled escaped the blue lion mane as he saw some shocking results.

"You would think that the stubborn noble would've noticed something off about himself and try to get rid of it. But my scan shows me that he isn't even interfering with it. The memory and mood adjustment seems to be going smoothly and his whole demeanor is starting to change. But there will be some complications." Kurotsuchi typed on the anybody's on the keyboard and a diagram of the captain's and Ichigo's body showed up on the screen in front of the other open files. "Since Ichigo was the only other person injected with the serum I conducted, there will be some changes in the results. Whenever Captain Kuchiki is out in public, he is still his emotionless state and his, what I would like to call, 'don't-get-me-pissed-or-there-will-be-consequences-' attitude, will be given to the public. The exception for this state is when Ichigo comes to play. If Ichigo is anywhere near him, his attitude will change and he'll be happy for all eyes to see.

"Now when it comes to Ichigo, that's a different story. He'll be happy all of the time no matter what. The only exception is when one of the memory adjustments takes place. His memory has been altered just like the Kuchiki nobles'. When something will trigger that memory, his mood will change almost instantly and people will end up freaking out. I can't wait to see everyone's reactions when they see how much both Kuchiki's have changed by the end of the day."

The head Captain nods his head in approval and chose that moment to give the scientist a choice. "Now that you have done this for me, I will ask Sosuke Aizen to hand over espada eight Szayel for you to experiment on for the next two days. Now, I will give you a choice here. You can either explain what happened to Lieutenant Kira naked and be able to experiment, or you can decide not to do so and not be able to experiment on the arrancar. But take into consideration of two things. One: your pride. Two: this might be the only time you'll be able to experiment on an espada."

Kurotsuchi froze in place and depicted his answer for a few minutes. Before he could tell the head Captain what he wishes, the lieutenant of squad one came to retrieve the Head Captain.

"Sir, Rukia Kuchiki wishes an audience with you." The grey haired man said in a bow. The head Captain turned to him and nodded his head, disappearing from the clowns sight.

Mayuri looked stressed and scrunched his face up as he grabbed a camera looking device and made his way to squad three. He just wanted to get this over with and show the head Captain of his humiliation.

"Nemu! Let's go and get this stupid deed done so I can start a fresh experiment!"

...

"Is preparation complete?"

"Yes sir! It took hardly any time!"

"Everything is in order?"

"Yes sir!"

"Is everyone ready?"

"It's just Melanie who's having a bit of trouble."

"She is our youngest soldier, so that's to be expected."

"Anything else sir?"

"Get everyone in formation. Before we can get the child, his father must be eliminated before his sentence is finished. It's the only way to ensure a one hundred percent victory."

"Yes sir! I'll make sure everyone is prepared and we can invade within the hour!"

"Good. You are dismissed."

...

 **If you guys wake up and read this before school, thank you! I just wanted to give you something before school started or for you to read after your first day. It's short again, but I feel bad for having to take a while to write now. Thank you for your love and support!**

 **amazinglion29**


	10. So Much Crimson

Rukia Kuchiki stood in the office of squad one. Her foot was repeatedly tapping the ground and she was biting the inside of her lip. She was, in fact, frightened by her brothers change of attitude. The young Kuchiki had always wanted her brother to be expressive, but this was taking it a bit too far. She actually feared for her brothers life.

Her attention turned towards the squads door as the head Captain entered the room. He walked over to his desk and took a seat before looking at Rukia. Her full attention was on the man as he waited for her to speak. Taking a deep breath, the noble asked what she wanted an answer for.

"Sir, I would like to know what happened to my brother." It seemed authoritative and it caught both of the people in the room off guard. Rukia had instantly covered her mouth in shock and the Head Captain was staring at her with his eyes open.

"You wish to know what happened to Byakuya Kuchiki?" The head Captain asked, allowing a sight of relief from the girl. Rukia regained her posture before nodding her head swiftly. "If I tell you what happened to Ichigo and Byakuya Kuchiki, you must tell anyone. Not even lieutenant Abarai."

"Yes sir, I won't tell anyone."

"It happened from a deal..."

...

The security is no longer as tight around the palace of Hueco Mundo. The captains that were arrested have free range to do what they please, but they can't use their zanpakuto or their reitsu. One of those traitors in specific had a horrible gut feeling about that day. Something was off about the air, and the brunette knew others could tell as well. No one, not even the espada, could hide their somewhat discomfort about something. Only one person knew what was going to happen, and he needed to make sure someone knew.

Sosuke Aizen traveled down the grand halls of Las Noches, hoping to run into one of the hundred guards that run the place. But he couldn't find one. No matter which room he looked in or which hall he traveled, not a single soul reaper could be found in sight.

That's when he heard shouting and hollering from outside of the palace.

Of course Aizen had taken precautions for something like this, but it seems as if the problem is more dire than he first thought. The sounds or roars nearly busted his eardrums as he ran towards the exit. Screams of pain and cries of war could be heard from nearly three football fields away from the door.

He saw Gin running to the door along side Kaname and they all met up while running to the door.

"Aizen! What is going on?!" Gin shouted over the roars of... Something. The brunette turned to the silver fox before looking fearfully in front of him.

"It's them. They're here." He said in a voice that wavered slightly. The Fox stumbled a bit before opening his eyes wide. Kaname's lip trembled a bit as he mumbled things about not wanting bloodshed.

"But it's so early. Can they really be that quick at preparing for something like this?" Gin asked as they were near the door. A soul reaper flew passed them from the doorway, screaming as his body began to disintegrate.

Aizen didn't even have to answer the question. Once the tree ran out into the battlefield, all they could see was a never ending hell filled with black creatures.

A man sat upon the back of one of the dark winged creatures, a smirk plastering his face as he felt the spiritual pressure of three familiar men. They were just the people he was looking for.

The creature he sat upon let out a loud roar that was a mix between a dragon and an eagle, but then times louder. If he weren't accustomed to such things, then his ear drums would have most definitely busted. This black creature had black scaled nearly as hard as diamond that flanked together each time it shifted. It had four deep black wings that constantly beat as he hovered in the air. This creature is drooling and as the drool his the desert sands of Hueco Mundo, the sand begins to deteriorate. The acid in its mouth isn't the only thing that it used as a weapon. Sharp teeth line the inside of its maw and it once again screeches.

"Wyvern's! Quickly! Kill them all! The man we seek to destroy is near! Leave no man left alive!" The leader called from atop one of his men, a wyvern.

Roars came as an answer and he was led to the ground safely. Once reaching the ground, his fellow wyvern flew off to kill more soul reapers and he stood with a smirk. He was tempted to become one himself and rip the heads of some of these soul reapers off, but his pride didn't allow it. In fact, he was going to kill a certain man bare handed.

The moment that man stepped from the doorway of Las Noches, the leader had a smirk on his lips and drew his sword.

...

You wouldn't believe how surprised the noble was when the young Kuchiki took a zanpakuto out of his shihakusho. The older man wasn't disappointed in it though. In fact, he was more satisfied and happy for the child than anything.

"See daddy? This is what I wanted to show you! Head Captain gave me my zanpakuto back!" The Orange haired child said. The only thing that Byakuya found the .most intriguing is the fact that Ichigo's zanpakuto was no longer in its shikai, but it was in its sealed state.

"That's great Ichigo!" The older man said with a smile and faced his 'son'. "So what else was it that you wanted to show me?"

Ichigo giggled slightly before placing his arm with the zanpakuto out in front of him. "Rise and defeat, Zangetsu!" His zanpakuto glowed slightly red and blue before it grew into an oversized kitchen knife that the boy didn't seem to mind holding. "Okay daddy! Do you think that we'll be able to spar together sometime since I've got my zanpakuto and I know shikai?" Ichigo said as he swung the giant sword in front of him.

"Maybe after you perfect shikai, but for now, we must head back to the manor. Rukia is bound to be waiting for us back home and it's nearly time for dinner." Ichigo sighed and pouted before sealing his zanpakuto and putting it in a sheath on his back.

"Okay, but I wanna choose desert tonight!" Ichigo shouted and flash stepped towards the entrance to the cave. Byakuya chucked to himself before replacing his mask and following behind his son.

...

Blood was everywhere. There was so much, that you could hardly see the desert floor of Hueco Mundo. Acid began to burn through everything besides Las Noches itself and screams of pain filled the air.

This was the environment that the three ex-captains entered once they walked through the doorway. They stared wide eyed as all but a few soul reapers were dead. One of the soul reapers saw them appear and quickly ran over to them, dodging the balls of acid that kept spitting his way.

Once he reached the three, he was panting and he roughly took their wrists. "You need to open a garganta!" The shinigami yelled as the reitsu protector was removed. Without a seconds hesitation, Sosuke opened up a garganta. The three remaining shinigami, as well as Gin and Kaname, quickly ran through and headed to the Soul Society.

But as Aizen was about to make his way through the garganta, he felt a presence behind him and quickly summoned Kyoka Suigetsu and blocked an oncoming sword.

"Aizen!" One of the shinigami yelled as he saw what happened. He was coming back to Hueco Mundo through the garganta when Aizen yelled.

"No! Immediately report this to the head Captain! And whatever you do, PROTECT ICHIGO WITH YOUR LIVES!" At the sudden command, the shinigami stopped his movements and stood shocked for a few seconds. He quickly composed himself and followed the four others who were heading back to the Soul Society.

Aizen's eyes locked on the man he parried with. The man has golden eyes and dirty blond hair that trailed down his neck with a little in his face. The man in front of him had a smirk on his face before jumping back and holding his sword out.

"You are a lot smarter than I thought Aizen. Just how did you know that I was going to go after Ichigo?" The man's voice had a commanding tone to it. All of the Wyvern's had stopped their movements and landed on the ground behind him. What caused Aizen to stare wide eyed at them was that their scaled and wings grew into themselves to show what looked like humans with armor.

Seeing the shocked look on Aizen's face, the man in front of him laughed. "Its obvious that you had no idea that my wyvern army was made of werebeast. So I'm still wondering how you k 's were after Ichigo?" The tip of the man's sword glimmered in the moonlight, casting an eerie glow on Aizen's face.

"Call it a father's intuition." Aizen stated and gripped his zanpakuto with both hands. The man laughed once again.

"Well, let's see how well your intuition will work after I kill you!" With that, the man charger forward and swung his sword.

...

An orange haired woman sat in a cell, her hands bound in chains and blood dripping all over her body. Her heart was filled with sadness and sorrow. She was extremely upset because she wasn't strong enough. She couldn't keep her mouth shut. And now, she's paying for it. The tears cascaded down her face as she struggled to stand through the pain.

"I'm so sorry that I wasn't strong enough for you... Ichigo..."

...

 **Oh my god, I have no idea how long it's been since I updated, but here you are! And finally, the fun is beginning! And there is a twist in this, more of one than you ever thought would be! I hope you keep reading my Peeps!**

 **~amazinglion29**


	11. Retreat!

Swords clash with sparks as two enemies face each other. One man wore an arrancar uniform as prisoners clothing and the other wore heavy silver metal. The brown haired shinigami's clothes were torn and blood was running down through every cut on his body. He was panting and he could hardly stand.

The leader of the enemy was panting as well, but only a small scratch was placed along his cheek. He laughed in a maniacal way as he saw how weak his opponent has become.

"I told you!" Elric screamed as he once again swung his sword. "You will never be able to defeat me Aizen! Your Kyoka Suigetsu will never work on me!" His attack was weakly deflected as Aizen was kneeling weakly against the ground. His arms shake violently from the force behind the man's attack. His grip on his zanpakuto slips up and it's knocked from his hands.

Aizen falls face first into the bloody sands of Hueco Mundo. He moves his arms out in front of him and tries to push up his body weight. Once he is a few inches off the ground, a foot is placed on his back causing him to fall to the ground again.

The shinigami breathed heavily as he realized he had no more stamina. He could hardly keep himself up long enough, and he felt like crying. But he wouldn't. He needs to be strong so he can still fight for his son. That's all that he needs to focus on at the moment.

As he tried to push himself from the ground, the foot came off of his back and the tip of a sword lightly pierced his neck, drawing blood. Aizen stopped his movements, still trying to keep himself off the ground with shaking limbs.

"There's no point in trying to move Sosuke. You've lost! Just accept defeat and die knowing you at least tried!" The leader of the Wyvern's laughed loudly and picked up his sword, letting it glint from the light of the moon, preparing to let it swing down for a finishing blow.

...

'Aizen!' Through her mourning, a certain woman could tell what was happening. If she couldn't, then how could she call herself a queen? She hadn't done a certain deed for someone just to let one of the people she owes her life to die. Besides, she promised to protect anyone if one of her people decided to do something unforgivable. Except, it seems her whole kingdom has decided to go against her.

She screamed in anguish as she tried to shift. Her forming body was killing her as the chains on her arms and legs was squeezing her limbs as they tried to grow. Fighting through the pain, she pushed herself harder, causing the chains to rattle from the sudden force being placed upon them. The woman's head was changing into a large black maw and her roars were shaking the room she was in.

The chains binding her rattled violently and broke, allowing her transformation to bloom fully. A large Wyvern, clearly two or three times larger than the others, roared loudly as it spit a large ball of acid at the ceiling. A crown of flames rested upon its head, forever going to stay there until its reign ends.

Shooting up through the large hole, the newly risen wyvern screeched loudly as she took off into the sky. A blue, black, and purple portal formed over the wyvern and it sped into it. All of these actions happened so quickly that the guards hadn't realized anything happened to the prisoner until she was long gone.

...

When a garganta opened into the Soul Society, those at the Kuchiki manor were alarmed. It wasn't just the fact it was a garganta, but because it ended up right outside the entrance of the manor. Byakuya was extremely frightened for his son, who was now shivering in his embrace as the garganta tore through the sky. He was about to grab at Senbonzakura when a soul reaper fell through the hole and landed on the ground.

Two more soul reapers fell from the garganta, writhing in pain as the garganta began to close. Before it was sealed, two very familiar shinigami emerged from the garganta and raced towards the injured soul reapers.

Rukia who was standing by her brother and... nephew, held Sode no Shirayuki out in front of her with a scowl present on her face. She was about to attack the two familiar shinigami when she noticed that they were trying to heal them. Taken aback, she turned to her older brother for guidance when she saw him push Ichigo behind him and take cautious steps forward.

With her zanpakuto still drawn, she followed suit and walked a slight bit in front of the two so she could protect them. The two diverted their gaze from the three shinigami they were healing to look up at her and her family. When she saw the relieved looks on their faces, she was confused.

"Good. Ichigo is still safe." Kaname says in relief and continues to heal the two men he has in front of him. Gin's creepy smile turned into a sincere one as he opened his eyes and looked at Ichigo.

"Aizen will be pleased to know that your alright." Gin stated before Rukia walked up behind him and slapped him hard in the end. He called out in surprise and brought one of his hands to his head. "Ow Rukia. That really hurt."

"What the hell are you doing here? And why the hell are there three injured soul reapers with you? Where is Aizen at?!" She shouted at him. He visibly frowned in front of her and turned to Byakuya.

Byakuya stood his ground, standing prospectively in front of Ichigo. His memories haven't been altered completely yet, so he does know that Ichigo is Aizen and Soi fon's son, but he can't help but feel protective over him. He felt a dull throb in his head, but he pushed it away with as much force as possible before glaring at the two men in front of him.

"You are trespassing on Kuchiki property. I suggest you leave this instant and take the injured with you." Kaname looked up at Byakuya and sighed.

"Captain Kuchiki, were here because there is someone after Ichigo and we promised Aizen we'd protect him with our lives. We request that an emergency meeting be assembled with the captains of the thirteen court guard squads in regards to the danger."

Upon hearing that Ichigo was in danger, Byakuya couldn't help but let a little bit of fear crawl through his veins. He quickly ha dead Ichigo to his shocked sister before picking up one of the injured. He summoned a hell butterfly to inform the head Captain that there is an emergency before looking at Kaname and Gin.

"Both of you pick up one of the injured and follow me. We're going to a captains meeting immediately." With that, he flash stepped away, leaving a confused pair to follow behind him.

...

As Elric was about to slice the weak Aizen's head clean off, the ground began to tremble. A large purplish portal appeared a few feet behind Aizen and Elric was staring at it in fear. He knew who could make the ground tremble in such a way and only one person could do it. And it's only this person who could defeat him.

"Fall back! Retreat!" Elric cries, turning into a wyvern himself as all of his followers began to shift and take flight. A smaller portal appeared in the sky and the enemy began to exit through it in a panicked motion.

Around half of the wyverns had escaped when the largest wyvern Aizen had ever seen came through the portal behind him. The crown in its head was made of raging flames as it roared loudly at the retreating Wyvern's. It landing in front of the nearly dead Sosuke and growled at the enemy as the portal closed behind the last one.

As soon as the portal closed, the large Wyvern relaxed and quickly changed back into a human. Since she was able to change, her physical features seemed healthier. It was as if the woman had never even been harmed inside of the prison she had to reside in. Her long orange hair seemed freshly washed and curled and her golden circlet rested upon her head. A white dress with black lace across the bottom covers her figure and silver earrings reside in her ears. Her now soft brown eyes landed on Aizen, who was in no condition to be moving.

Of course Aizen couldn't believe his eyes. There in front of him is the one woman who has raised his son as her own. The one who protected his son before she supposedly died. Standing before him is none other than Misaki Kurosaki herself.

"You look horrible Sosuke." She says lightly as she makes her way over to him. She kneels down in front of him and sighs. "This is also somewhat my fault for all of this." She landed a hand on his shoulder and a soft golden globe danced upon his body. He felt strength race through him as his soul was being healed. He stared at Misaki in wonder as she smiled at him sadly.

"Tell me," he began once she was done healing him, "why are they after Ichigo?"

She sat down completely in th sand next to Aizen. Her orange hair flowing in the small breeze that Hueco Mundo provided. "Ever since Soi fon had come to me that night, I knew something was going to happen. The moment that Ichigo was placed inside of me, I could feel it. The fusion had begun inside of me and it was something I feared. Small parts of my DNA, parts that neither Yuzu or Karin had inherited, began to fuse in with Ichigo's DNA. I didn't really need to go to Kisuke, but he needed to help me with a little bit of a DNA transfer so that it would be harder to identify him as her son." She took a deep breath before continuing with her head down. "Ichigo had inherited the DNA of being able to turn into a wyvern, like me. But not just that, he was chosen by fate to become the next king to the wyvern population since I have ruled over them for quite some time." Tears brimmed at the edge of her eyes as they threatened to spill. Taking a shaky breath, she continued. "When my people found out about Ichigo, they came after me and him. The woman that died that night was another soul, one that was a replica of me. So instead of dying from Grand Fisher like others think happened, I was taken and imprisoned by the other Wyvern's that night. I was able to keep Ichigo from their sight, so it would have taken them longer to find him. But now that they know who he is and that your his father, they want to kill you and capture him. They want to force him to become their new ruler!" She finally broke down into tears and put her hands on her face. "And this is all my fault!"

Aizen didn't exactly know what to do and he hasn't hat to comfort anyone in a while. But he did think of some think that might be able to cheer the now crying Kurosaki in front of him.

"Well, Gin and Kaname went to the Kuchiki household where Ichigo is being watched over. Do you want to go and see Ichigo again?" He asked.

At that, Misaki looked up at him with a tear stained face and a smile. "I'd like that a lot." She replies. Aizen nods his head and helps her to her feat. He opens a garganta and Misaki follows him through it.

...

 **Oh my gosh I'm so sorry for taking so long to update! School is nearly killing me with all of the homework. The chapter, (not including this note) is 2005 words long! I now feel accomplished and some things you may have been questioning are being answered. Thank you all for still reading!**

 **~amazinglion29**


	12. He Remembers Those People

Isshin was once again called to the Soul Society. The request was so abrupt that he had no choice but to bring Yuzu and Karin. The two girls were still mourning since they heard that Ichigo wouldn't be coming home. They know he isn't dead, they just wish that their brother would have said goodbye before he left.

Before heading to the unexpected captains meeting, he stopped by the Kuchiki manor with the girls. He was told to just leave them there while the meeting took place. Yuzu and Karin were tightly held in his arms as he flashed stepped to the nobles home. When he arrived, the guards allowed him inside and he entered the home.

In the living room of the house, he saw Rukia there with a smile and playing with Ichigo. A pang of jealousy shot through him as he saw Ichigo smiling and laughing with Rukia. Mentally clearing his head, he cleared his throat. Rukia and Ichigo both stopped playing and turned to look at their visitors.

When Ichigo's eyes landed on Yuzu, Karin, and Isshin, they widened. Images began to flash through his mind, ones that he realized were memories that he had with these people. Not just that, but he remembered them as being a part of his family. He was quite confused, but was able to speak nonetheless.

"Yu... zu... Ka...rin?" He spoke slowly. Upon hearing their names, Yuzu and Karin turned their heads to face the small orange haired boy. Their eyes widened as they ran and hugged the smaller boy.

"Ichigo? Is that you?" Yuzu asked with tears in her eyes. Ichigo nodded his head and he felt tears well up in his own eyes. His past was clear now. The man that came with them raised him for sixteen years. His supposed 'aunt' is the girl who had originally given him his soul reaper powers. Aizen used to be a traitor to the Soul Society, but is now just undergoing punishment. Not only that, but the man he thought was his father, and still thinks is, Byakuya Kuchiki, is actually not his father. But how? Ichigo couldn't wrap his mind around it, so he just closed his eyes and allowed himself to become a little brother to his younger sisters for once.

"Ichigo?" The Orange haired boy let go of his sister's and turned to Isshin. "You... remember them?" He asked with a longing look on his face.

"How could I not remember them goat face?" Ichigo joked and jumped at Isshin for a hug, only to punch him in the face. "What the hell dad!" He shouted as Isshin tried to remove some of the rubble off his body. "I've been living with Byakuya and Rukia and you don't even try to stop by once? Now you just show up unexpected with both Yuzu and Karin? It's dangerous for them in the Soul Society!"

Rukia, who was just observing, was now staring at Ichigo. She knew what the head Captain was planning since she talked to them. The whole idea was to make it to where Byakuya would start to open up a little bit to the people around him. For Ichigo's case, it was to help him get his memories back. When Ichigo made the deal with the head Captain, he originally said that he'd help with an experiment that only he could do, which involved Mayuri constantly measuring his spiritual pressure, when in reality it was so Ichigo could return to normal.

"Your not surprised Rukia?" Isshin asked with a look of shock plastered on his face. She just shook her head.

"No. I had asked the head Captain what was going on when I saw some changes happening with my brother. Turns out he was trying to restore Ichigo's memories and make Byakuya open up a bit." She gave him a simplified answer that he seemed to accept. He stood up from the rubble and flashed Ichigo a smile.

"Well, have fun with your sisters Ichigo. I have a captains meeting I have to attend to." He waved good bye and flash stepped out of the Kuchiki manor.

Once he left, Ichigo turned to the three other girls in the room. "Hmmm... let me think. What is something all three of you would enjoy doing?" He asked. Karin's eyes sparkled and she jumped at Ichigo.

"Let's play soccer! We haven't played in a long time Ichigo!" He sweat dropped and laughed sheepishly. He looked at the two other girls. They both gave each other a look and turn back to Ichigo.

"Well stay inside and make something for when Mr. Kuchiki and dad get back. You and Karin go have fun." Yuzu said before dragging Rukia out of the room. When Ichigo turned back to Karin, he saw that she already had a soccer ball.

"Wait, where'd you get that?" He shouted at her and pointed at the ball.

"I always carry a soccer ball around." She replies boredly. "Besides, it doesn't matter. I'm gonna kick your ass at soccer today anyway!" She said with a fist pump.

"Karin, watch your mouth." Ichigo said as they walked into the courtyard. She just stuck her tongue out at him and they began to play.

...

If Rukia wasn't surprised from what happened earlier, she was definitely surprised now. Two and a half hours ago, her brother along with Gin Ichimaru and Kaname Tousen went to a captains meeting with Isshin Shiba. Now, Yuzu, Karin, Ichigo and herself were sitting in a circle and talking amongst themselves when a purplish portal opened up a few feet from them.

Ichigo immediately stood up and in front of his sister's, ready to protect them from whoever was coming through. Rukia swiftly stood up and drew Sode no Shirayuki, ready to call upon her shikai. Everything around them was completely silent for a few moments as the portal swirled in front of them. Yuzu and Karin were clutching Ichigo's pants as they sat on the ground and stared at the portal with wide eyes.

Then, two figures emerged from the portal. Rukia seemed to relax slightly when she saw Sosuke Aizen. But she didn't recognise the female that was standing beside him.

"Mom...?" Ichigo and his sister's ask at the same time, all three of them wide eyed. Upon hearing their voices, Masaki immediately turned to them and a look of relief crossed over her features. All three children ran up to her and hugged her to death, but she didn't mind. She missed her children and would do anything for them.

Aizen smiled as he watched Ichigo run up to Masaki and giver her a loving hug. He wished that Ichigo would do that for him, but he knew better than to hope for that too soon. He turned his gaze to a shocked Kuchiki as the sword in her hands lowered.

"Rukia." Rukia quickly snapped out of her stupor upon hearing her name. She gave Masaki full attention as the woman turned to her. "Thank you for staying by Ichigo. I really appreciate it."

"Wait, how do you know my name?" Rukia asked dumbfounded. At this Masaki chuckled.

"I know many thinks. Where's Byakuya and Isshin?" She asked and stood up. Ichigo looked disappointed since he couldn't hug any more, so he just satisfied himself by gripping her leg. Yuzu and Karin were crying slightly, so Masaki was holding them both in one of her arms.

"Isshin and brother are in a captains meeting. It's a pleasure to finally meet you Masaki Kurosaki. But to be honest, I thought you were dead." Rukia said and scratched the back of her neck. Masaki chuckled.

"Your not the only one who thought that. Wait until Isshin sees me. I swear he's going to weep real Jesus tears." Masaki laughed slightly before turning to everyone else. "Why don't we all go ahead and intrude on a captains meeting?

...

Elric was fuming. He had already killed the guard who were supposed to be keeping an eye on the prisoner. Since they hadn't done their job correctly, they had to be taken care of.

Now that nobody had to wear their hoods, everyone could get a good look at one another. In face, they all looked very similar. The color of their hair, eyes, and skin being the only difference. You could easily mistake some people to be identical twins. In fact. Everyone here looked like they were half identical or half fraternal twins.

All except Elric. He was the only man who didn't look like another man. His face was longer and his ears larger. His eyes looked like circles instead of almonds and you could easily lose sight of his small nose on his face. As was mentioned before, he had blond hair and piecing green eyes.

But those eyes were fill with rage and hatred. His plans have just backfired and now they are going to have to fight blind. Since Aizen hadn't died and Masaki escaped, everything he was ready to put in motion flew out the window.

Currently, he was pacing back and forth in the royal hall. Worried looks were sent his way by the guards, some of the looks even looking a bit scared while sweat ran down their faces. The guards had seen him angry, but never this angry before.

Unexpectedly, Elric let out a cry of rage and punched a nearby pillar, causing it to crumble. The guards called out in fright and shielded their faces. Their leader seemed so enraged they didn't know what to do.

"LEON!" Elric raged. Almost immediately, his subordinate was inside of the room. He kneeled in front of Elric and he bowed. LEON had dark brown skin with short black hair. His eyes are an icy blue color and they stare at Elric's shoes.

"You called Lord Elric?" Leon asked.

"Prepare Melanie. It's time to go to our back up plan." He commanded. Nodding swiftly, Leon left the room and ran down the hallways.

As he traveled through the marble halls, Leon was cursing to himself silently. He knew how frustrated his Lord was, it he's never seen him break a large pillar before. That was the first time he saw Elric break something from frustration. It was all the more reason to come out with their best weapon.

He reached Melanie's room and knocked on her door. A woman opened the door. She looked very muck like Masaki, the only woman who did. Everything was the exact same except for her hair was blond instead of orange. A look of surprise crossed her face as she saw Leon standing outside of her door.

"Oh, hello Leon. What brings you here?" She asks and leans against the door frame. She crosses her arms over her chest and her brown eyes land on the dark figure in front of her. LEON cleared his throat before speaking.

"Lord Elric is going to plan B. Your assistance is now needed more than ever. Do you accept to help the Lord?" Elric asks. He looks at the woman in a red tunic expectantly. She sighed and nodded her lead, leaving the room. She knew better than to refuse Elric. Since she was only recently added to the army, she has yet to show what she can really do to the others. Only Elric and Leon knew of her potential. Now, it seems, that her potential is some sort of back up plan? She shook her head absent mindedly as she followed Leon down the corridor.

The doors to the royal hall opened and Elric quickly stopped his pacing. When he noticed the two who entered the room, the mood seemed to brighten somewhat. He swiftly made his way over to the two who entered and nodded his head. Leon and Melanie nodding their head his way before following Elric into a room with maps scattering the walls and crumpled paper all over the floor.

"Ready to make a few tweaks to plan B before we try again?"

 **I probably should have updated sooner, but of course being in eighth grade is taking away all of my time. Anyway! I hope you all like the update!**

 **~amazinglion29**


	13. Crashing a Captains Meeting

**Hey guys, so guess what? I'm not moving to Illinois! (maybe) I feel so relived and I want to thank everyone who reviewed because you all kept my spirits up! I had to use a combination of my sisters tablet and a public library computer to write this, so there may be a few spelling mistakes, sorry! Now on with the story!**

 **~amazinglion29**

* * *

Ichigo walked really close to his mother as they made their way over to the captains meeting. He thought thats mother had died, but apparently she has been alive this whole time. Not just that, but she had been trying to _protect_ him. He could tell that something far more dangerous than Aizen was after him. In fact, the worried look that he saw constantly appearing on Misaki's face was the main reason why he had this knowledge.

 _ **Hey King, do you wanna play tag?**_ Ichigo was beyond shocked that he heard someone ask him to play. What made it even more shocking was the fact that it was his inner hollow that had asked such a question.

 _What the hell Shiro? Since when did you ever play tag?_ Ichigo asked as he grabbed onto his mother's hand so he could converse with his inner spirits.

 ** _Oh don't joke around like that! You know very well that I like playing tag with you and the old man here even said he'd play!_** Shiro whined inside of Ichigo's head, which nearly caused the orange haired boy to laugh like a hyena. _**Besides! I want out of your inner world for a little while! Come on! Please!**_

 _Shiro, you do know that Ichigo has regained all of his memories that were altered before the Winter War and he cant indulge himself with some more reckless actions. He should be training for the new war anyway, which I thought you would rather do that run around and make an idiot of yourself._

 _And Shiro,_ Ichigo thought to his hollow, _Never ask me to play tag again._

He could feel Shiro shivering in his soul and smiled in satisfaction. He was proud that he was finally able to break the hollow just enough that he could get to him like that. It was a small victory on his part, but it felt huge. He smiled a great big smile that didn't go unnoticed by his mother.

"What's making you so happy Ichigo?" Masaki asked his son as she looked down at him. At this, Ichigo froze.

His mind began to whirl. He didn't think Masaki knew he had a hollow living in his soul. In fact, it terrified him on what Masaki may do if she were to find out he was part hollow. He was panicking and his zanpakuto and hollow weren't helping the situation. In fact, they were freaking out more than he was. He looked up and smiled at his mother, blocking out the frantic calls of his inner souls.

"I'm just so happy to have you back with us mom." His words struck something in Masaki and she smiled down at him, tears brimming her eyes. Ichigo's eyes widened in panic and he quickly started apologizing. "I'm sorry! Hey! Did I say something wrong?" He sighed in relief when she shook her head.

"No, Ichigo. You just reminded me that I shouldn't have left you in the first place. I love you all dearly Ichigo." He smiled up at his mother lovingly as Yuzu and Karin hugged her tightly wrapped their arms around her neck. Shiro and Zangetsu awed in the background and Ichigo couldn't help but smile brighter. Everything seems to be changing for the better in his mind, and he couldn't be happier.

They all walked in a comfortable silence the rest of the way to the captains meeting. Rukia just smiled at the casual conversation between mother and son, wishing to have a loving mother of her own. Noticing her sad smile, Aizen smiled and patted her head, giving the girl a reassuring smile before continuing forward behind his son.

* * *

"Gin Ichimaru, Kaname Tousen, explain your reasoning for not being in Hueco Mundo serving your time!" Head captain Yamamoto shouted angrily at the two men in the center of the room. All of the captains except for Byakuya were glaring at the two men in front of them. Well, all but Shunsui and Jushiro who noticed the panicked look on Byakuya's face as he brought the two former captains into the meeting. They knew something was up and were clearly surprised by the fact that Byakuya was showing any emotion. It all seemed out of character, but knew that Mayuri obviously had something to do with it.

"Well, you see Head Captain," Gin started and took a step forward, "Las Noches was attacked by Wyverns, I think they called themselves, and Aizen is still back in Hueco Mundo fighting them off. That is, if he isn't dead already." His large smile just dropped and he opened his electric blue eyes for the moment. "If Aizen really did die, then it was just mee, Kaname, and the three other soul reapers we brought with us that survived. Nobody else was able to survive the bloody massacre that happened before we arrived." A cold, dead silence filled the room as everyone let that information sink in. All one hundred guards killed in nearly an instant and the remaining so desperate they begged for Aizen to open a garganta so they could leave? What kind of bloody hell has been brought upon them?

Isshin stepped forward and out of line and walked up to Gin and Kaname, whacking them both in the back of the head. They rubbed their forming bumps as he sent them both a glare. "This is all very interesting, but I would like to know why the hell you brought me here from the world of the living that was so importanat that I had to bring my daughters to the sould society as well. As far as I know, this doesn't have anything to do the world of the living at the moment and it's really starting to piss me off." A dark aura surrounded Isshin and it made Gin and Kaname actually cower slightly in fear. Gin pushed Kaname forward and motioned for him to speak. He sighed and turned to Isshin in hopes that everyone else has their full attention on him.

"The reason why you were called here was because of the fact that these Wyverns are going to cause all of us bloodshed to get to you son, Ichigo. Aizen was the one who informed us to deliver that message in hopes that Ichigo will be guarded until the bloodshed is over. He said that he would be willing to give up his live to save Ichigo no matter what situation he was in once before. Now, considering all he's done for the Soul Society, would you be willing to do the same?" He finished, looking towards the Head Captain.

Head Captain Yamamoto's eyes snapped open wide. It wasn't because of what Kaname has said, no. It was because he felt an unknown Spiritual pressure right outside the meeting hall along with Aizen's, Ichigo's and what he would believe would be Ichigo's sisters. He didn't know the other one, and was sure that more than likely Aizen had captured one of these Wyverns and brought it here to the Soul Society for examining. But what happened next was what surprised everyone in the hall, Isshin Kurosaki the most.

"Hello Everyone! It's a pleasure to finally see you again!" In came all five people outside of the hall, the main one that everyone saw though was the beautiful orange haired woman in a white dress and wearing a crown holding two little girls in her arms. Her eyes had Landed on Isshin's immediately after she had entered the room. "Hello Isshin, long time no see." Isshin'd mouth was hanging open and tears were brimming in his eyes, he couldn't believe who was standing in front of him. Of course he thought it was a dream, but everyone else saw it too, so there was no mistaking it.

"Masaki..."

* * *

"There." Elric stepped back and admired the person before him. Never would he have thought he would have to resort to this tactic, but he beleives that this just might be his only chance. The woman before him looked down at the ground in shame, wishing she wasn't forced by this tyrant of a ruler into such an unnoble act. Especially since she's being forced to go against her sisters wishes. She hates Elric with a deep and burning passion and has ever since he put her older sister in a cell. When her sister had escaped, she was releived when the news reached her. Nothing had ever made her happier.

Except, now this monster of a man forced her into a white dress that was just barely able to fit over her figure and forced her to pull an orange wig over her natural light brown hair. A soft pink shade of lipstick was lightly placed in her lips and she was forced to smile. Even though her smile was forced and a deep sadness and rage lingered in her eyes, Elric was absolutely marveled at how much she looked like her sister now. Hardly anyone would be able to tell the difference. But the necklace she was forced to wear was the only way he could detect the difference. It looked like that of a beetle glowing red at points and then just being a silver color at others.

"Are you ready to fulfill your duty, Melanie Kurosaki?" Elric asked with a devious smirk. Melanie staredbhim in the eye with as much hatred as possible before taking a deep breath. She lightly held her hands in front of her and swallowed her pride, nodding her head.

"Yes sir, whenever your ready to send me out into he field, I will go. Lord Elric." She spat her last two words angrily and stiffly bowed his way, noticibly shaking in anger. Elric just smirked and waved his hand, sending her out into the field immediately.


	14. Imposter

The orange haired female walked down the streets of the Seireitei with a forced smile. She was forced to walk gracefully, mimicking the movements of a queen because of the cruel will of a vile man. The dress flowed at the perfect length, covering her body in the right way, but the top was a bit tighter than it should of been. Her bust, just a size bigger than her sisters, was being squeezed like no tomorrow and it made it just a little hard to breath.

Silver sat upon her chest, feeling like it weighed more than a million years of life and glowed every thirty minutes, keeping an eye on her destinations. She dispised everything about herself at the moment. The wig sitting atop her head, the crown sitting in her hair, the dress that she wore, the heels on her feet, but most if all, the silver bug necklace that seems to be attached to her body like glue.

This isn't what she wanted, but she has no choice. She would love to die at the moment and be happy not following through with this plan. In fact, she was ready to speak through the filthy bug and ask to just be killed on the spot. But she knew she couldn't. If she were to ask for such a thing, it would surely be granted and she would be greatful, but she also knew that no matter what, the vile creature controlling her will just form a new plan to destroy her family.

All because he wants a little boy who knows nothing about ruling. She knew a few things about Elric. Some of which were very disturbing. The first interesting fact she found out was that he was, apparently, gay. Which also meant she and her sister were saved from his wrath, but not Ichigo. And, because he's gay, he has taken interest in Ichigo. Which brings another interesting yet disturbing fact into foreplay. He is a pedophile.

Melanie had to clean the bastards room once, being forced to do so since she was the rookie of the army. When she entered the room at that time, all that greeted her was filth everywhere you could see. Seeing as she had never had to cleaning anything herself for her whole life, she didn't know what to do. So she picked up as best she could, scrubbing the floors and the walls a bit to get most of the grime off of it. Then, deciding to do some sneaking around, she found a dairy hidden beneath his clothes in his bottom drawer. After reading what was inside, she wanted to throw up. Before his plans ever even entered his mind about taking over the Wyvern society or taking Ichigo as his own, he had a sick, twisted life. He would visit orphanages all over the colonies where the Wyvers resided, and harass and rape little boys under the age of thirteen. He wrote everything he did in detail, marveling in how wondefful it was to hear their screams. He even claimed that hearing their screams in his head would help him sleep at night.

She forced down the bile that arose in her throat after remembering that. She never liked the man, and his sick, twisted way of life is something she despises with all her heart. The necklace on her neck changed as she neared her desitination. It turned into a silver tree with the birth stones of herself, her father, mother, and her sister in the trees, their names engraved into a silver plate under each gem. Shaking her head, she continued down the path, heading to the Squad One barracks and dreading what she was about to do.

...

"Maskai..." Isshin couldn't wrap his mind around anything. There, standing right in front of him, was his deceased wife. Or, she should of been deceased. But she was smiling, right at him. He could feel the gazes of the captains around the room on his wife, and he knew they saw her too. But her sudden appearance striked questions up inside of his mind. "How did..." he began when Ichigo cut him off.

"Just put a sock in it, Goat Face. Let her explain before you bombard her with questions and cause her stress. She's been through a lot." He looked down at his son, staring at his blue eyes. He stared at them for a little while, missing the light brown hue they once had that reminded him of Masaki when she wasn't there with him. It was because of Ichigo's eyes, as well as his protective demeanor, that allowed Isshin to continue after the 'death' of Masaki. But now he looks at a seven year old looking boy with the eyes of a battle hardened warrior, a look that should never appear on someone who seems so young.

He nodded his head towards Ichigo, indicating that he understood before taking a few cautious steps forward. Now standing right in front of her, Isshin threw his arms around Masaki and placed his forehead on top of her shoulder. Tears were leaking out if his eyes, but they were happy tears. He was laughing slightly and a joyous smile was presented on his face.

His joy seemed to spread, gaining smiles from everyone in the room. Even the not-so-stoic-anymore Byakuya Kuchiki smiled at the Kurosaki that arrived. They all knew of her death, and the fact that she held Ichigo in her womb, ready to make him her child in Soifon's place proved of her noblility towards family. But as soon as the joy had erupted from the captains, it was replaced with confusion. First, they wondered why she was so elegantly dressed. And second, why it was she wore the crown of a queen on her head. She cast a sad glance at everyone when she realized they were loking at her in a certain way. She knew she would have to explain herself.

She was about to begin speaking when Isshin pulled her at arms length, staring at her chest with wide eyes, seeming to search for something. Ichigo gained a tick mark on the top of his head, ready to smash his father in the face with his fist when a strangled cry escaped from his father. He stared at the taller man, shocked, not knowing what made him so upset.

"The necklace, Masaki! Where's your family necklace?!" Isshin shouted with concern. Misaki's face went pale immediately and she reached for her neck, noticing for the first time her family heirloom not on her. Panic coursed through her veins as she stared wide eyed, shaking a little. Isshin took Yuzu out of Masaki's arm and Ichigo lifted up Karin, the two of them placing the girls on their feet and turning to the orange haired woman.

Her hand was over her mouth, stifling her quiet sobs as tears cascaded down her cheeks. She knew that something was wrong. She knew that she had the necklace with her when she tried to escape that jail cell. But then, realization hit her like a freight train. Because of a rule, a rule that she created, she now lost her family heirloom.

'If you are wearing a personal item that you wore to the jail cell when trying to break out, that item will be cast into the treasury by the magic surrounding the prison. Therefore, you will never allow it to be returned unless you consult with the current ruler of the Wyvern colonies.'

All because of that one rule she neglected to remember, she lost her heirloom, and it had now fallen into the hands of Elric. Without a doubt, she knew something was going to happen. Now that such an important item lay in the hands of such an unfit ruler, any obstacle could be presented and be almost impassable. And she had a feeling it would be sooner rather than later.

That's when the doors to the meeting room burst open, revealing a shocking figure. It was Masaki, but she looked worried and angry. But it was only Jushiro, Shunsui, Aizen, and Byakuya who caught the hint of sadness and regret. A small shining shone on the new Masaki's chest, drawing everyones gaze to it. She was panting heavily, almost like she had run a marathon. Almost immediately, the new Masaki ran forward and tackled the Masaki, calling out in rage.

"Get away from my children and my husband! I won't let you take them and hurt them! You've already done too much to harm me! I've had enough of it!" The next words that passed through the two look alikes fell upon deaf ears throughout the room. No one heard anything after the outburst because they were trying to comprehend what was going on. None of it made sense to them.

"Melanie?" Masaki whispered when her hands were pinned above her head. A sad look fell over Melanie's features, blocked from onlookers by the orange wig.

"I'm sorry Masaki. It was either have the soul reapers hold you captive, or all of our loved ones would be killed. I'm so sorry. Play along?" She asked, a sad smile on her face as she tried to explain briefly. A look of understanding crossed over Masaki's features and she nodded, willing to do anything that will help her family and loved ones.

Everyone was brought out of their shock when Masaki flipped Melanie onto her back. A look of anger featured on her face, the sadness well hidden under the fake mask she allowed to appear. Many thoughts flew through everyone's minds, most unsure of what was happening before them. But everyone knew that one of these Masaki's was an imposter. Once they're identified, thought Yamamoto, they will sit in the second level of Mukken until Central 46 deals with them.

"I was so close to gaining what was rightfully ours!" Masaki shouted at her sister. Pain clenched her chest, knowing that she was only able to spend a little time with her family. But as long as they stay safe, she'll take whatever is brought her way. Even if that means death. "You've ruined everything Masaki Kurosaki! Lord Elric will be very displeased when he realizes you've escaped from your cell."

Zanpakuto where being drawn from their sheaths, all the captains of the Gotei 13 ready to attack the imposter, now that she had been identified. Masaki heard the sound, and swallowed hard, a bead of sweat traveling down the side of her face. She knew what was about to happen, and was ready to take it. I love you, Isshin, Yuzu, Karin, Melanie... Ichigo. Masaki thought to herself before she was grabbed lightly by the arms and picked up off her sister. The grip, she noticed, was the grip of captain Ukitake. The soft hearted captain, she noticed, was looking at her with curiosity. She tried to shoot a look of hatred at the man, but she couldn't do it. He was too kind to her every time they talked or met up somewhere. And instead of hatred, a look if sadness shocked Jushiro. A silent conversation passed through the two for a couple of seconds before Jushiro turned to Head Captain Yamamoto.

"Head Captain, what would you like to do with the prisoner?" He voiced. Yamamoto glared daggers at Masaki, and she felt his spiritual pressure rise in anger at her. This time, Masaki was able to glare at the man. She dispised him quite a bit because he never exactly accepted her in the first place.

"Captain Ukitake, take this imposter and have her locked in the level two cell of Mukken. Central 46 will deal with her when they are ready." Yamamoto said with anger in his voice. The captains flinched from his tone of voice and sheathed their zanpakuto. Shunsui stepped forward, casting a glace Jushiro before looking at Head Captain Yamamoto.

"I'll go with him if you don't mind old man Yama." Shunsui stated. Head captain nodded his head at him, approving of his request. Jushiro grabbed hold of both of Masaki's arms gently and both him and Shunsui flash stepped out if the room.

Melanie just sat where she was on the ground, ashamed of what she's done. She wanted to cry, scream at the head captain that she was the imposter and that she should be taken in her sisters place. Then her necklace glowed red for a split second, reminding her of the consequences of disobedience. She looked up at the roof of the building, closing her eyes and silently praying for her sister's safety.

...

Hey... I'm sorry it took so long to update this... things are happening and I moved out of my house. My parents are split up now, but I'm happy about it. In fact, I'm releived because of it. Now my life seems so much better and I'll be able to enjoy myself a bit more. Thank you for waiting patiently to those who are still reading this. I really appreciate it! And Merry Christmas to all of you! I wouldn't be able to update then, so I thought I'd say it now.

~amazinglion29


	15. His Danna?

Evil cackling resounded throughout the room, making the guards sweat in fear. A blond male sat upon a throne, looking at a projected screen in front of him. Everything seemed to be going according to plan in his eyes. An evil glint raced through them, as the camera focused on the young orange haired boy. The shocked and confused face registered in his mind and he felt turned on by the sight.

"This is magnificent!" Elric cackled out, his voice carrying around the chamber. "Soon, Ichigo Aizen will be mine! He will be my danna and rule beside me!" His continued laughter echoed across the room, making each guard fidget where they stood.

Elric's eyes landed on the door when he heard someone knock. Leon entered the room and Elric took in the man's current appearance. Dark skin with extremely short black hair. Light brown eyes sat under thin eyebrows and large pink lips sat under a decently sized nose. Gold and silver armor sat on the mans body, clinking slightly as he walked inside. His silver helmet sat underneath his arm, the area around its eyes was gold along with the area for his nose. The helmet itself was shaped like a hawk's head. If the man were wearing it, it would glow slightly before securing onto his head at the correct size.

"Ah, lieutenant Leon. For what need have you decided to grace me with your stunning presence?" A smirk appeared on Elric's face when he saw the man's adams apple bob up and down. Leon licked his lips to moisten before speaking hesitantly and reluctantly.

"I'm here to inform you that it will be I who is going to clean your quarters tonight, sir." Leon said. The smirk widened on Elric's face, knowing full well that the lieutenant in front of him knew what that ment.

"Then I will tell you that I will be having to help you pick up a little mess later after you're done. And please, humor me with wearing your best kimono. It makes you look ravishing." Elric bit at the air and growled slightly before waving a hand to dismiss the man. Leon bowed and scurried out of the room, quickly shutting the door behind him.

Satisfied, Elric turned the screen off and exited the room, begining to head to his chambers for a well needed nap.

.:÷:.

Ichigo was engulfed in a hug, and he hugged back immediately. But it felt wrong. The arms around his body felt just a little too frail and the hands rough instead of smooth. The scent of lilac filled his nose, nothing like the smell of strawberry shampoo. He didn't know what was happening, but he knew the woman hugging him was not his mother.

He was about to give the woman a serious ass kicking when he felt a hot breath on his ears. The woman began to whisper to him, confirming his suspicions.

"Ichigo, don't worry. Your mother will be safe with Captain Ukitake and Captain Kyoraku. I am your Aunt Melanie, your mother's younger sister. I'm taking a big risk telling you this, so listen carefully. Elric is planning to use me to get you, but I won't let that happen. I'm going to tell you who you really are soon enough, but you have to trust me." She pulled him to arms length while sitting on her knees.

Suspicion was still clear on Ichigo's face, but he nodded anyway. He didn't know he had an aunt, but then again he had no idea Sosuke was his real father. Besides, the woman looked exactly like his mother, which was bewildering.

Melanie smiled at him and looked at Isshin breifly and then at the captains of the Gotei 13. She bowed to them before standing straight and flashing a smile.

"If you don't mind, I would much rather wait until later to explain everything. I've had a rough day." She said. Then, she picked up Yuzu and Isshin picked up Karin. Ichigo was still studying the woman when he felt himself get picked up. He turned and saw that it was Byakuya who had done it and had Ichigo resting on his hip.

"That is fine." Yamamoto stated and banged his cane against the floor. "This meeting is adjourned until further notice! You're dismissed!" The captains began to dismiss, nodding their heads at Melanie before leaving. They obviously thought that she was Masaki, but Melanie still smiled at them anyway. She couldn't let her sister down. Not now.

When the captains left the room, Byakuya turned towards the small family with Ichigo still in his arms. In fact, Ichigo didn't seem to mind at all being in Byakuya's arms. Then again, he was told by Zangetsu that he was all jumpy on the man before he remembered himself. He even called Byakuya 'daddy.' It would be a little wise to keep up the act just a little longer, which will prove to be slightly easier since his mother was with Jushiro and the person holding Yuzu was just his Aunt. He just hoped that she wouldn't ask too many questions.

"Let's head back to the Kuchiki manor. We'll celebrate your return over a feast Masaki Kurosaki." Byakuya stated. Suddenly, an idea popped into my mind. He heard Shiro start to cackle loudly in his head as he smiled brightly and turned to Aunt Melanie.

"Mom, are you gonna kiss Daddy? You haven't kissed him since you returned." I asked, feigning innocence. He watched as her features froze slightly and she glanced at Isshin. She gave Ichigo a pointed look before stepping closer to Isshin and giving him a peck on the lips. Isshin seemed to jump in joy, but I shook my head at Melanie. "That's not daddy! This is!" I shouted and began to tug on Byakuya's haori. The blood drained from her face as she stared at the squad six captain and Byakuya looked slightly queasy himself.

"I think I'm quite alright just seeing your mother for now Ichigo." Byakuya stated and took a slight step back. More cackling rang throughout his head as he childishly giggled in victory. Now to add the icing on top of the cake.

"What do you mean by 'for now' daddy? Do you mean that you're going to have fun with her tonight?" I ask with innocent eyes and look up at Byakuya's face. Byakuya closed his eyes and took a deep breath while Melanie just spoke up.

"Okay! Well, I believe we should all head to the Kuchiki manor instead of talk about... those kinds of things." Then, as if pretending to be Masaki, she turned to Isshin. "And you have some explaining to do about our son."

Isshin anime cried with Karin in his arms and put one arm over his eyes. "I thought he remembered since he called me Goat Face and recognized you as his mother!"

Everyone just sighed before finally walking towards the Kuchiki manor. Ichigo was starting to get a headache from the laughter his hollow was emitting inside of his head, but he thought it was totally worth it.

.:÷:.

Masaki fingered the small tea cup in front if her, looking down at the table with saddened eyes. She had to stay out of sight from everyone else. She knew that, yet she couldn't help but yearn to hold her children in her arms once again. To hold her loving husband in her arms and kiss him like there was no tomorrow. All of that is gone for now. She will just have to wait until this stupid and unnecessary war was over with. That, or until the fighting started and she could reveal herself and fight along with the Captains of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads.

Across from her sat two of them. Shunsui Kyoraku and Jushiro Ukitake were also drinking tea, surprisingly. She would have thought that the men would be drinking sake instead of tea, but supposed that they wanted to stay level headed through the explination she just gave them.

She looked towards ths opened door and saw the sun setting in the distance, setting the sky ablaze in a dashingly bright orange colored light. Her lips upturned at the scene. It brought her a little peace, but she wished to share this peace with her family.

"So the other assumed Masaki is actually your little sister Melanie in a costume?" Shunsui asked and set his tea cup on the table, successfully drawing Masaki's eyes from the grand scene outside the doorway. She nodded her head gravely and looked up at them both.

"You do believe me, don't you?" She asked the two of them.

"As crazy as your story sounds," Jushiro began with a smile, "we believe you. But, you're claiming that Ichigo has gained rite of passage to the throne of the Wyvern Society. Does that mean he can shapeshift into one of them as well?" Masaki nodded her head and placed her hands in her lap.

"Yes, it does. But I was able to get in contact with his spirit when he was a baby so that the power he possesed would be sealed away in the deepest part of his soul. The only way he can turn into one is if he finds it and battles himself for the right to use it."

"Well, that seems reasonable and all, but why keep it hidden from him?" Shunsui asked and put his elbows on the table and set his chin on his hands. "The boy seems capable of pushing through any situation." Masaki sighed and looked at Shunsui with a pointed look.

"How about I explain it this way. Captain Kyoraku, are you gay or straight?" She asked with no hesitation. A flustered look crossed over Shunsui's face and he leaned back a bit.

"W-What kind of question is that?!" He shouted out in surprise. Masaki just glared at him and he answered quickly but quietly. "I-I'm bi..."

"So you're into men and women. Figures." Masaki said and rubbed her face in exasperation. "Well, let's work with what we have. Have you ever taken notice to men younger than you? Say, a child that looked under the age of thirteen?" She asked him. She noticed a flustered blush appear on Jushiro's face as he stares at his long time friend. Shunsui shook his head quickly.

"No way! I may act like a pervert, but I sure as heck ain't a pedophile!" He stated and quickly took a drink of his tea. Masaki nodded her head and drank a bit of her tea as well before continuing.

"Well, Elric is completely gay, leaving Ichigo vulnerable." She stated.

"How so?" Jushiro asked and drank a bit of his tea as well. He saw the disgusted and pain filled look that passed over Masaki's features before she answered.

"Because the filthy bastard is a damn pedophile and enjoys harming children under the age of thirteen. It's sickening." Masaki spat and quickly took a drink of her tea to calm her taut muscles.

"Woah there!" Shunsui stated after a slight bit of initial shock. "There's no need for profanities Masaki."

"That's true, but you think that he's targeting Ichigo?" Jushiro asked with caution. Masaki sighed and nodded her head.

"Yes, but not just that. I believe he has a desire to make Ichigo is danna." Masaki stated with growing anger and worry. She pushed the feelings down and continued with the task at hand.

Shunsui was the first to speak after a few seconds of silence between them. "His danna? You mean Elric wants to make Ichigo his husband?"

"Yes. And since Ichigo is back in his real form, it makes him more susceptible to it. Elric will stop at nothing to become one with Ichigo. And since Ichigo is next in line for the throne, his plan is to most likely kill me in the process so he can rule over the Wyvern Society alongside Ichigo. And that will only lead to chaos."

More silence passed through the three and Masaki began to finger the small, empty cup in front of her again. Fear raced through her heart for her son, and she couldn't do much of anything about it. She glanced up at the two captains and saw them nodding to each other before turning towards her.

"Well," Jushiro started and layed a hand on top of one of her fidgeting ones, "is there any possible way that we could help?" Her eyes widened in appreciation and she nodded her head with a smile, explaining what she wished to be done.


	16. Keeping the Balance

Byakuya noticed a difference in his son ever since he arrived at the captains meeting. The upbeat little boy he knew was no longer there. At most the boy smiled, but now he looked skepticly at Masaki. It took him by complete surprise.

Byakuya felt something in his brain try and supress his thoughts and knew something was up. On his way back to the manor, he began to get rid of whatever was going through his body. Now that he knew of the foreign existence inside of his body, he saw how abundant it had grown. The task proved difficult, but after attacking it with his reitsu, it was out of his system.

Irritation grew within the Kuchiki noble when he remembered everything. The fact that Ichigo wasn't actually his son still somehow shocked him, but he hated the fact he was tricked into believing something that wasn't true. He sure as hell didn't like it, and what's even worse was the fact that he realized Mayuri was watching him the entire time.

He twitched slightly with Ichigo in his arms. He was tempted to drop the boy on the ground, but with Masaki and Isshin walking with them, he dared not to. Who knows what kind of death it would bring him if he did that to their son.

No, Ichigo wasn't their son. Ichigo was the son of Aizen and Soifon. Masaki was just kind enough to carry and raise the child as her own and Isshin had no idea his only son wasn't actually his son. What kind of messed up world is this?

Byakuya sighed and adjusted Ichigo into a slightly more comfortable position. Melanie watched this with a careful eye, almost as if she distrusted the man.

"Is there something wrong Byakuya?" She asked the noble. The most he did was glance at her with his now once again stoic face before turning back forward.

"Nothing is wrong with me. What would have given youthat assumption?" Byakuya replied. He looked down when he felt Ichiho grip his haori.

"Daddy was sighing and mommy was just worried. You shouldn't be such a meanie to mommy!" Ichigo punched his arm with exaggerated effort, causing a smile to appear on both Melanie's and Isshin's face.

"My apologies. I didn't mean to sound rude Ichigo." Byakuya replied in his stoic manner as they continued to walk towards the Kuchiki Manor.

* * *

Masaki sat, anxiously waiting for Jushiro and Shunsui to arrive back at the squad thirteen barracks. She tapped on the table impatiently, getting agitated slightly because of how long the two have been gone for. She was about to move from her position on the floor when the door slid open and the two missing men stepped through. Standing, she waited while they walked up to her.

"Well? How did it go?" She asked quickly. They both smiled at her and Shunsui gave her a pat on the back.

"I don't know why you worried so much! We told you we would take care of it!" He stated and watched as she frowned.

"Of course you did, but that doesn't guarantee a definite answer." She stated impassively.

"Don't worry about it Mrs. Kurosaki." Jushiro stated with a closed eyed smile. "Your requests were agreed to. Now all we have to do is wait." Masaki sighed in relief and sank to the ground next to the table.

"Well that's good at least, I suppose." She replied.

Not surprisingly, she watched Shunsui pull out a bottle of sake from inside of his rose petal haori. Grunting in disapproval, she saw him also pull out three cups. With a smile on his face, he regarded the other two in the room with him and asked if they would care to have a drink with him.

"Is now really the appropriate time to be getting a fuzzy head?" Masaki spat at him and glared. The older man recoiled slightly and gave a look of pleading towards his old friend.

"Masaki is right Shunsui, we need to have level heads. If you hadn't realized it, we are already included in a war that is centered around Ichigo Aizen." Jushiro replied. Masaki stared at him with shock before realization tore through her.

"So you know?" She asked indifferently. They both nodded their heads.

"Yes, it was Sosuke himself who told us. It definitely came as a surprise." Jushiro said. To that, Shunsui nodded.

"Yeah, most of us didn't believe it at first, but a DNA test definitely proved him right." Shunsui stated. Masaki sighed in relief, thinking on how this just made everything so much easier for her.

* * *

Melanie stood atop a hill in a gray kimono she borrowed from the Kuchiki wardrobe. The wig atop her head no longer itched as much as it used to, so she wasn't really bothered by it. The hill was just outside the Kuchiki manor, and she stood there waiting for a certain someone.

 _'Luckily I took off the necklace and gave it to one of the servants.'_ Melanie thought and stared at the setting sun. _'They won't be able to track me. But I do feel a bit bad for the servant.'_

She felt a presence behind her and turned around. There stood the seven year old looking shinigami with bright orange hair and steel gray eyes. She smiled at him slightly as he walked up. His scowl only seemed to deepen, but she took no notice of it.

"You wanted to see me aunt Melanie?" He asked. She could tell from his reitsu signatures that he was still tense and skeptical about her, but she couldn't blame the boy.

"Yes. There is much that we need to discuss." She stated, dropping gracefully to the ground and sat atop the hill. Ichigo did the same, only a little more clumsily and followed her gaze. The sun sent off many shades of warm colors across the sky. Reds, oranges, yellows. They give the Soul Society a look of peace and serenity.

They sat in silence, just watching the sun go through its natural course and disappear beyond the horizon. Soon enough, the moon began to peak out behind them and stars began to twinkle overhead. Ichigo would have loved the peaceful scene if he hadn't known that there were important matters needed to be discussed.

"So, tell me exactly what the hell is going on? I know my mom wouldn't pretend to be the enemy without a good reason." Ichigo asked. He heard his aunt sigh and shift next to him. He turned and saw that she was now facing him, a saddened look crossing over her features.

"I know you wish to know that, but you need to know some things first before I answer that question." Melanie stated. Ichigo grew slightly agitated, but dropped the fuse and allowed her to continue.

"I hadn't known that I was an aunt until they captured my sister and threw her into the prison cell. But by that time, I knew something was up back at the Wyvern Society. People were becoming more discrete and secretive; pulling up the hoods of their cloaks and refusing to reveal their identity. It started off with a few, but it soon grew into more than half of our population in less than a month.

"The whole point of the Wyvern Society is to make sure the balance between souls and hollows are ensured. it may seem harsh, but when one hollow is killed, we either have to help turn an earth bound soul into a hollow, or evolve one of the hollows in Hueco Mundo to a higher class. We do that by using the acid in our maws; either spraying a spirit with it and turning it into a hollow, or we do it to a hollow, effectively evolving it into a much stronger one.

"The Wyvern Society is supposed to be kept a secret from the three worlds; Hueco Mundo, Soul Society, and the world of the living. The soul king wished it so that way the balance could stay the same and no unnecessary fights or wars will break out. It was his hope that it would continue like that for eternity, but he knew all peace would have to end at some point.

"My sister- your mother- was the fifth person to ever rule the Wyvern Society. I was second in line for when she either died or could no longer rule and had no heirs, but there was no problem with that. But, that was until rumors spread about the runaway queen.

"I don't know how she did it, but somehow she met your father, a soul reaper and the captain of squad ten. There were days when she would leave me in charge at the palace and leave for hours on end. It wasn't until she finally left us for a good while did I find out why.

"During my sisters absence, a tyrant forced his way onto the throne. It was gruesome, but the fact of it was inevitable. His name is Elric Deldaro, and he is one sick man. The people in the streets with their hoods covering their faces fought alongside him, helping him take the throne. Soon, everyone was forced into submission and left to live a horrible life under Elrics rule." Masaki saw how intent on the story he was, and smiled slightly. _'I never thought he was into history. Guess I was wrong.'_

"Yeah, but how does my mother fighting you and acting like the enemy have anything to do with this?" He asks curiously with the slight tilt of his head.

"Don't worry Ichigo, I'm getting there." She states. He nods his head her way, staying silent and allowing her to continue with the story.

"He sent the order out to find and capture Masaki Kurosaki. It was his idea that he would capture and force her to live life as a slave or forever in prison. But when she was finally caught and the reports came in, he had a better idea.

"He trapped your mother inside of the cell, making sure that it would be extremely hard and painful for her if she would try to escape. His plans changed and he soon set his eyes on you. People were sent out to watch your every move, to see what you were capable of. I only found out things about you from reports, but it was enough.

"You were in danger, I knew that. Yet I had no power over Elric. I was forced to train and become part of his little army like everyone else. I was nothing more than a pawn to him, and it made me sick to my stomach knowing that I have to live under such a sick mans rule. But I was afraid. Not for myself, but for you. I knew at some point that he would finally try and get you, but all I could do was wait.

"That's when I was ordered to go on a mission for Plan B. Plan A was to kill Aizen and get him out of the way, but that failed. Aizen knew they were going to be coming for you, and he started to take precautions. From what I heard, he told Gin Ichimaru and Kaname Tousen to make sure that you were protected and he faced off Elric himself. The only reason Aizen survived was because your mother was able to escape prison and appear on the battlefield. Elric was forced to retreat and then resorted to Plan B: Imposter.

"When I crashed that captains meeting and your mother and I started to fight, I briefly told her what was going on and asked her to play along. She agreed and began to act like the enemy so that way she could protect you and the family. She never did say it, but I knew what she wanted me to do. She wanted me to make sure that you would be safe. That they wouldn't take you. I then promised to myself that I would. I would do anything to keep family safe." When she finished, they sat in silence. A cool breeze swept by and Melanie looked down sadly at her hands.

"So... what does this Elric guy want from me?" Ichigo asks and stares up at the sky. The moon shone up high above them and bathed the world in a soft blue glow. It was a beautiful sight in such a horrible time period.

"Ichigo, when you were fused inside of Masaki's womb, you had also gained something you've never had before. One of those things were your Quincy powers that Masaki had obtained. The other is the succession to the throne of the Wyvern Society." Melanie stated.

Ichigo's eyes went wide. Him, becoming king? He, Ichigo Kurosaki, a prince? It was unbelievable. He didn't want to believe it, but the look he saw in Melanie's eyes was proof of it. He looked down, staring at his own hands. He flipped them back and forth and put forth another question.

"So I can turn into one of those things?" He asked her. He had never seen what they looked like, but it was scary knowing that you could turn into something that the enemy could turn into. And the fact that your supposed to be the Heir to the throne on enemy side was scary too.

"Yes, you can." Melanie stated matter-of-factly and turned to the young looking boy. "But it doesn't change who you are. It's just another power that you need to learn to master."

"But, when they capture me, are they going to kill me so that Elric has ultimate rule over the throne?" Ichigo asked with wide eyes. All of this was a lot to take in, and his mind was having just a tad bit of a hard time processing it. He watched as Melanie shook her head sadly.

"No, Ichigo. It's something much worse. He will force you to become his Danna: his husband."

When that was said, Ichigo found himself succumbing to the darkness around him.


	17. The Help

Sweat dripped down the side of the young boy's face as he concentrated. His body was tense and he could feel his face reddening from the force he was inflicting on his body. His fingers clenched into fists and he concentrated on the objective at hand.

When he was asked to train with Soifon, he didn't want to do it. It was bad enough that the woman was his biological mother, but what's worse is that she had abandoned him before birth. He loved Masaki, but he despised the woman in front of him. His whole body could feel her gaze as she looked at him pathetically. He could tell, from just that look she gave him, that she wanted nothing to do with the boy. What kind of mother is she? Most mothers would be happy that they get to spend time with their long lost child after so long, but this woman was nothing like that. Ichigo was glad he hadn't come out of her or raised by her. She's definitely not the supportive type.

"You're trying to hard, Aizen!" Soifon snipped out at the boy. "What kind of pathetic weakling are you? Are you sure that you're my son, or are you just some little brat that needs to learn respect? Cause if you don't start taking this seriously, I'll have no choice but to kick you off my training grounds and I'll never help you train again."

Ichigo's blood began to boil and he glared at the woman, stopping every thing that he was doing. A deep rumbling sound escaped his lips as he studied the agitated woman in front of him. Did she think those words were encouraging? It's a wonder that the stealth force is opperating smoothly with the kind of attitude she gives when training her subordinates.

"Cut the crap, Soifon! I never asked you to be my mother in the first place!" Ichigo shouted in anger. "I'm quite content with the mother that I have, so don't get your panties tied in a knot. It was my mom that asked you to train me on bringing forth my powers, so just shut up and do what you've been told! Besides, if you didn't want to do this in the first place, then why the hell did you agree to help me?!"

Soifon sneered at Ichigo and felt her hand twitch towards her zanpakuto. Had he not been of her own flesh and blood, he would have been sliced down by Suzumebachi within a matter of seconds. It took all of her self control to refrain from killing the boy. Biting her lip, she kept her mouth closed and said nothing. The fact was, it wasn't because Melanie or Masaki had asked her to do so, it was a direct order from head captain Yamamoto. Had he not told her the situation, she would have refused immediately.

~Flashback~

She walked through the training grounds and looked over the new recruits. It wasn't a very promising group, but they never were when they first came to the stealth force. They were normally too slow, but she would always help them get much faster than they were. All that she had to do was play a familiar little game that she had played with Lady Yoruichi to get their skills up to par.

At the moment, they were playing a game that they learned while in the Shino Academy: flashstep tag. They were definitley improving from when they first came to the barracks; that much could be told about them. As of now, only a few had been tagged out of the couple dozen kids chosen for the stealth force. Those who weren't tagged were obviously having a bit of trouble keeping up because of lack of endurance.

Some of the recruits caught movement of their captain and paled visibly. She began to take off the white haori and set it down on a nearby ledge. If the recruits hadn't seen her yet, the surely felt her. Their movement stopped to bow towards the woman in respect and wait for further orders. Though, they were pretty certain of what was to come.

"Who told you to stop?" She shouted over the silenced crowd. "I had yet to give you any new orders. Continue until I say otherwise! Understood?"

"Yes ma'am!" They shouted beack and continued their game.

A few more people got out and everyone was sweating and panting from exhaustion. Though Soifon was internally surprised. This bunch of recruits was actually the most promising in quite a few years, so she saw it best to push them farther beyond their limits than she had for others.

She was about to step into the game when a hell butterfly flew into her field of vision. Sighing with a slight growl, she lifted her arm and caught the butterfly on her finger. The small weight on her finger settled before finally speaking to her.

'Captain Soifon, please report to the Squad One barracks for a private meeting with thd head captain. I repeat: report to the Sqaud One barracks immediately to see the head captain.'

Unable to refuse an order from the head captain, she replied to the hell butterfly and sent it back to the squad one barracks. Before she left, she instructed her trainees to continue their drill and not to stop until she returned. Heeding her words, they continued the game as their captain vanished in a flash of shunpo.

It took only a couple of mimutes to reach the meeting hall. Once there, Soifon pushed open the doors and took a step inside. When she saw two other people that weren't the head captain in the room, she growled and reached for Suzumebachi. Her hand was on the hilt of her zanpakuto when a voice stopped all of her actions.

"Captain Soifon, you will not release your zanpakuto from it's sheath on these two young women."

Soifon's eye twitched slightly, but she quickly complied. She walked closer and stood in front of the head captain, almost protectively and eyed the two women standing in front of the two of them. She tried her hardest to figure out who was the imposter and who wasn't, but she couldn't seem to tell the difference.

"Melanie and Masaki Kurosaki, I would like to apologize for the way you have been treated since your entrance to the Seireitei. But, as to avoid confusion, would you please remove your wig Melanie so we may distinguish between the two of you?" It seemed like a request, but Soifon had been around the head captain long enough to know it was a command.

Soifon watched as one of the girls nodded her head, reaching for her orange locks. She removed a few bobby pins form her head and held them in her mouth while carefully removing the orange mass of hair. After that, she removed the cap situated on her head and sighed in content as her natural brown hair flowed over her shoulders.

"That feels so much better." Melanie stated, earning a giggle from her older sister.

"I would hope so, you've been wearing that wig for a while now." Melanie smiled towards her sister before turning back towards the head captain.

"I would also like to thank you, Head Captain, for not kicking me out of the Seireitei after you realized what I had done." Melanie stated and bowed gracefully towards the shinigami.

"Yes, I'm glad that Jushiro and Shunsui hadn't brought the real Masaki to Mukken. That would have put us all in a grave situation." Stated head captain Yamamoto. Soifon reluctantly interrupted the head captain and stepped in with a confused demeanor.

"Sorry to interrupt, Head Captain, but I can't seem to follow what it is that is going on." Soifon stated, not surprising the older man. So as to drop the confusion, he allowed the two sisters to explain the situation. As their story progressed, the woman's eyes widened further and further.

To say she was shocked would be an understatement.

Her son was a shape shifter, a prince, and his other mother had a sister no one knew about? What the hell is going on? And now, after all of this information had been bombarded on her without warning, they want her to train Ichigo in obtaining the form of the enemy?

"I'm sorry, but I refuse to do that!" Soifon stated and looked at the other females. "I owe you no sort of debt and my loyalty isn't towards either of you. The only reason I allowed anyone but myself to carry my child was because I knew who I was giving him to and a debt had to be repayed. Now we tread on neutral ground and I wish not to fall uneven once again."

"Captain Soifon," Yamamoto stated and gave her a commanding look, "you will do as you have been asked, for this upcoming war will depend on the boy himself. If Ichigo Aizen doesn't learn how to control his newfound abilities, it could cause the destruction of the Soul Society."

~Flashback end~

It was only by command that she agreed to do what she was doing at the moment. Had it not been, the boy in front if her would be residing in the Kuchiki Manor getting all the comfort and luxury most dreamed of having but never received.

She sighed and shook her head in annoyance, walking over to the boy. Stepping behind him, she bent down and moved her arms up. She pressed a hand to his stomach and began to give instruction.

"Remember to keep tension here," she informed the boy and moved her other hand up to his chest. "Keep these muscles loose and breath evenly. Imagine your body shifting into another creature, starting one limb at a time. Keep a clear objective in your mind and concentrate on the task. Don't try to force it; let the transformation come willingly."

Ichigo gave her a wary look and she sent him a small, almost unnoticeable smile. He caught sight of it and his eyes widened slightly at the woman. He nodded his head as she stood and removed her arms from around him. She stepped back to her original position and watched closely as he took in her advise.

It was small, but she saw the boy's fingers change slightly. They had turned black and a small scale looked to be growing out of his skin. He pushed even further and got to about halfway up his arm before the magic left him. They scaled paw returned to a human hand and he stared at it, panting from the effort.

Soifon smiled at the boy quite visibly. She was proud of him. In fact, she had nevef seen anyone take her advise so completely as he had. She saw a change in the boy when his eyes landed on her. There, she saw warmth and what slightly looked like forgiveness. It wasn't something she was expecting, but she took it with open arms. She was making progress with him in more ways than one, which pleased her greatly.

Hopefully that progress keeps inclining as she grows to accept the truth about the boy in front of her.

.:':.

Melanie walked with Masaki towards the Kuchiki Manor, smiling brightly. Their fingers were enlaced and they enjoyed each others presence wholeheartedly. After so many years apart, it was a wonder that they weren't jumping all over each other. But, because of the way they were raised, they didn't do that. They stayed content just the way they were.

"You know, that wasn't how I expected us to meet again," Masaki stated and turned to look at her sister. Melanie chuckled and shook her head, casting a sidelong glance at her sister.

"That's what I was thinking. I was expecting it to be when the conditions were just right. I would have been introduced to my nieces and nephew properly, meeting Isshin wouldn't have been me lying to him, and a feast would be prepared in honor of your return. That is, unless I would have traveled to the world of the living once I received word from you. But instead, we reunited in the midst of war and had to 'fight' the moment we saw each other." Melanie sighed and looked up to the sky. She felt her older sister sqeeze her hand and turned her gaze back to the woman.

"Good or bad circumstances, what matters is that we are together once more. Now you can meet Isshin formaly. You don't have to tell him that you were pretending to be me if you don't want to. I'd understand completely." Melanie sent a grateful look at her older sibling and laughed when Masaki walked faster and began to pull her along.

"What are we doing?" Melanie asked breathlessly as she tried to keep in step with her sister.

"I'm going to formerly introduce you to my family. What else?" The woman asked excitedly and continued to lead the brunette onward.


	18. The Caged Nephlim

"Damn it!" Elric shouted and banged a hand on his throne.

"What is it, Lord Elric?" Leon asked and glanced at the higher individual. The anger of the man was clear and his eye twitched in annoyance.

"Damn that Melanie!" He shouted and stood up, stomping out of his throne room. Leon followed behind him, already having an idea as to what has happened.

"What's wrong, mi'lord?" Leon asked once again as he followed his fuming leader.

"What's wrong? Whats wrong?! That bitch has ruined my plans! Every single person in that family has ruined my plans! I keep having to go to back up plans all because of them! And why they do it? Because of this stupid thing called Family Love! Who needs such a repulsive thing? Love is what drives you to defeat! Which is why my next plan will go on without fail."

He pushed open a door to an empty room. Leon walked in after him and took a look around. It was plain and nothing was inside of it besides a small picture frame of the last Kurosaki Rulers. Each face on the picture had a big red X in it except for one. A newly made picture of the next Kurosaki ruler. His face was circled in red, and Leon wondered why that was.

Elric moved the picture to the side, showing a bright blue square. He pushed the square inside of the wall and watched as the wall completely removed itself. It sunk into the ground and he gingerly took a step inside.

The stench hit Leon at full force. It was so bad that he nearly threw up and had to cover his nose. It smelt like rotting flesh and blood on the inside. Howls arose from whatever creatures lied within. They sounded pained, lonely, enraged, and Leon wanted to cover his ears. He would have if he wasn't having to plug his nose instead.

Cautiously taking a step inside, he finally got a look at the creatures inside of one of the biggest cages he had ever seen. They were huge, easily twice the size of a fully grown and trained wyvern. They were all black reptilian creatures with a slight bit of bloodied black fur on their faces, but they seemed to be eroding away. Flesh and blood hung loosely from their skin, and rusted armour too big for their unfed bodies rattled as they tried to make room for themselves. They all had two rows of teeth, each tooth so sharp that by the slightest movement, you could be bleeding out. Their tails were furrless, leaving room for their scales that looked so sharp, they gleamed in the light that entered the room. Each one had a set of leathered wings, easily fifty feet in length each, which flapped in hopes for some air and a way to create room. Some of the females were laying on the ground howling out something that sounded like a dragons roar. The skin on their stomach bubbled and burst open, allowing their new born young to come out. The few new lives immediately attacked their mother, eating her flesh and growing as they completely consumed her body and covered themselves in bits and pieces of her armour. By the way that their flesh also hung from their bodies, Leon had the faintest idea that their flesh wasn't exactly supposed to stick to their bones in the first place.

Then, there was the largest of them all, sitting on a throne of bones. A rusted iron crown sat upon his head and he watched over everything as if it were normal. When Elric cleared his throat loudly, the creature turned his gaze directly towards the blond man. He roared loudly, causing all commotion to stop and for the cage to become quiet. He walked down the forming pathway on all fours and stood directly in front of Elric while behind the bars. His head was much larger than Elric's entire body, which made Leon kind of nervous. How on earth was his lord able to keep such large creatures captive?

"Elric." The creature spoke, disgust plaguing his voice. "What do you want from me this time?"

"I'm pretty sure you know exactly what I want, king of the Nephlim. " Elric replied, looking the creature in the eye. The Nephlim growled.

"Yes, I know exactly what you want, an answer. But tell me, why do you wish to seek the help from the Nephlim when it was your kind that locked us up in the first place? What matters are you seeking guidance for? Because I'm not inclined to help you. Your kind may have locked us up, but you haven't taken away our freedom of choice."

"Your freedom is guaranteed if you help." Elric stated simply. "This, I have said before."

"But what is the cost for our freedom, Elric?" The Nephlim growled out. "That is what I want to know."

"You have to help me destroy the Soul Society, is all." Elric smirked when the Nephlim bared his teeth.

"You know we have no buisness with the Soul Society, Heuco Mundo, or the World of the Living, Elric. We aren't supposed to even make ourselves known to them, much less create war. It's our job to prevent conflict in the first place!" He howled and stomped his front right paw on thr ground. "So what makes you think that I would sacrifice my own kind to help the likes of you?"

Elric's smirk broadened and he chuckled slightly. "Well, the very woman who locked you up has teemed up with the Soul society, as well as her sister."

"I have no need for revenge on them." The Nephlim replied, averting his gaze from Elric. "They locked us up for a good reason, which is why I'd like it if you decided to leave us Nephlim alone for the rest of eternity." The Nephlim king then turned around and began to walk to his throne.

Leon saw the smirk was still on Elric's face, so he had reasonto believe that Elric wasn't done yet. The blond man turned around and walked away slowly, but not without saying one more thing.

"Oh, and I know where Mori is, Bayrin."

At that, the Nephlim king, Bayrin, quickly turned around and raced to the edge of the cage, head butting it to get out. Leon saw the furiousness, sadness, and longing in Bayrin's eyes as he stared at Elric. The Nephlin looked conflicted as he watched Elric nearly leaved the room.

"Elric!" Bayrin called after the retreating man. Said man stopped his movements and looked at the Nephlim who reluctantly sighed in defeat. "You'll take me to her?"

"If we win, that's the idea." Elric nodded, his eyes gleaming.

Bayrin took one last look back at his fellow Nephlim. They were all awaiting his orders, and staring at him curiously. He sighed and looked back at the blond headed human.

"What do we have to do, Lord Elric?"

...

Ichigo was a never known for giving up, but right now, he felt like giving up.

One whole week he'd spent at the squad two baracks. One week he's had Soi Fon breathing down his neck. One week since he's seen his family. One week since his training began. But so far, he hasn't made any progress.

After that first time he was able to shift his arm, things hadn't been working out in his favor. No matter how hard he tried, the rest of his body wouldn't shift. Right when he felt the scales try to form on new parts of his body, he'd nearly pass out from pain or exhaustion. So far, nothing worked for him. What's probably making it worse is the fact he hasn't rested or eaten in a week either, which is really wearing him out.

Soi Fon wanted the boy to be able to shift, become a wyvern so that she could see. But she new better than to push him any farther. The boy looked like he's had enough.

"Alright, Ichigo. That's enough." She said, and watched him let his arm hang loosely at his side. He plopped down onto the ground, looking up at the sky with drooping eyes.

"I... know I... can do it..." Ichigo stated, trying to get back up on shaky limbs. Soi Fon sighed and shunpoed next to him, picking him off the ground.

"Stop pushing yourself so hard." Soi Fon said and began walking with him in her arms. "You're exhausted both physically and mentally, so you should eat and rest before you continue to try."

Ichigo nodded his head weakly, his eyes drooping from exhaustion. By the time Soi Fon exited the barracks, the boy was already asleep in her arms. She stopped at the gate of her division and looked down at the sleeping boy in her arms. A small smile settled on her face staring down at the boy. She'd never admit it aloud, but she was proud of him. He was more of a stranger to her than anything, but she was proud to be called his mother.

Soon, she was off in a flurry of shunpo. Her arms secured a tight grip around her son as she moved stealthily from roof to roof. The figure of her body appeared and disappeared rapidly, her being almost invisible to the naked eye. Ichigo seemed to move in closer to her body as she continued, seemingly to seek safety in the fast mode of transportation.

By the time she reached the Kuchiki Manor, laughter had filled her ears. But most importantly, a familiar reitsu flooded her senses. She hardly wanted to confront ths man at all, but she thought that now would probably be better than later. With that thought in mind, she walked through the gates as the guards allowed her passage.

She walked around the large manor to the back, where the gardens were at. There, she saw a display she had never seen before. Byakuya Kuchiki was out in the field, learning how to play soccer with Karin. Whenever he did something wrong, Karin would stop the game and point it out and tell him how he could fix it.

Yuzu was with Rukia on a blanket, chatting away with the Kuchiki and smiling like there was no tomorrow. Rukia was enjoying herself as well, presenting her drawings of Chappy the rabbit to the young Kurosaki.

Isshin and Masaki sat next to each other, holding hands and allowing themsleves to converse like no time passed between them. Melanie was also with them, chatting away and joking with her sister and brother-in-law.

All in all, it was a heart warming scene.

Then she allowed her eyes to travel over to Sosuke.

He wasn't really doing anything. All he did was lean up against the manor, watching over everything going on in front of him with a smile. He seemed happy; happier than she'd probably ever seen him. But worry was obviously on his mind. What with the war going on and not knowing the enemy's next move, who wouldn't be worried? Knowing that your son is the center if it as well really does put a person on edge.

Of course he was the first person to notice her presence when she made it on the grounds. He looked directly at her and smiled, pushing off the wall and walking over to her. She shifted the boy in her arms, the dead weight becoming a little uncomfortable in her grasp. Her heart fluttered as Sosuke neared, but she couldn't help but feel a little weary of the once traitor.

"Aizen." She greeted stiffly as the man drew ever closer. When he finally stopped in front of her, he nodded his head.

"Captain Soi Fon." He replied back.

The next few moments between them were silent, the both of them just staring, no, analyzing each other. They both sought out any form of betrayal or sneakyness before sighing. When they found nothing, they sat down on the ground and Soi Fon positioned Ichigo to where his head was laying in her lap. Aizen was the first to speak as she began to run a hand through Ichigo's hair.

"Why did you do it?" Soi Fon sighed and looked up at the sky as the cotton ball clouds passed by overhead.

"I was... frightened." She replied indifferently. "I didn't know what to do. I was inexperienced and I wasn't ready to face the challenge that had presented itself to me. My capability wasn't high enough, and I didn't know what to do. I never told you, because I was afraid. Afraid of what you would want me to do. Plus, if I did continue on with the pregnancy, than all of the captains would have surely known I was having an affair. So my decision did save us a lot of trouble. When you deflected from the Soul Society, I would have been thought of as a traitor as well had I not done what I did. Plus, Ichigo wouldn't have been raised the same way. Had he grown up with us as his parents, he'd be a completely different person. And, strangely, I don't think I'd want him to be any different."

"Well... maybe we could start over." Aizen said, looking at Soi Fon.

"I don't know Sosuke." Soi Fon replied. "Give it a while before we start fully making amends with each other."

Aizen nodded his head in understanding and stood up when the others finally realized the arrival of Soi Fon and Ichigo.


	19. True Identity

Ichigo sighed as he sat at the edge of the koi pond at Kuchiki manor. He skimmed his hands over the surface of the water, sending ripples across the pond and scaring some of the koi. He sighed again for what felt like the hundredth time that day, standing from his seated position and headed back towards the manor.

His training sessions had yet to be very successful, but he's found them to not be as hard as they used to. Soifon seems to be easing up on him a bit and not being as hard. In fact, she's even become a little more supportive and involves when he trains. He takes in some of her advice and tries to use it in his techniques. Sometimes it will ease the stress of his transforming body, and others it will put more strain as his bones and everything connected to them reform.

Most of all, he felt happy. He had his whole family living with him. His mother and his aunt had presented themselves to everyone at the manor and though Byakuya was a little skeptic, he accepted Melanie in his home.

Isshin was with them, along with his now older sisters Yuzu and Karin. His unofficial father for a while, Byakuya, didn't mind having his rambunctious family living with him and Rukia had taken all of this in with open arms when she realized that she'd be spending plenty more time with the Kurosaki family.

But worry still played on everyone's minds. They all knew that the war was going to be hell, but they wanted to make the most out of what peace they had. They just wanted to act like a normal family before the deaths and hardships begin to cloud their minds with depression.

Currently, Ichigo was working in the courtyard of Kuchiki manor late in the night. Everyone else was asleep and he just found he was feeling too restless. So to ease his mind a little and take it off of the upcoming battles that he will most likely have to face sometime in the near future, he decided to try his best to complete his possible wyvern transformation.

He tried to call upon his ability again, taking a deep breath and holding out his arms. He felt the shift of bones underneath his skin and the surfacing of black scales protruding from his skin. He clenched his teeth as pain exploded across his body, but he continued to push himself. Sweat broke out on his forehead and he kept trying hard, noises of discomfort leaving his lips. He let the magic fade as he felt he would break under the pressure of what he was trying to accomplish.

He was missing something, he realized. He needed to know something more and he felt that the information was sitting inside of his brain and waiting to be released into his conscience. He took a deep breath and took to thinking. What did he need? What was it that needed to be resurfaced to complete his transformation? He thought back to some of the conversations that he had with his mother when she found that he was trying to change into a wyvern.

FLASHBACK

'Ichigo stood in the middle of the training grounds at the second division, trying hard to clutch the magic inside of him. he was focusing so hard that he jumped in fright and lost his concentration when his mother's voice sounded not too far from him.

"Try controlling your breathing and spreading both of your arms."

Ichigo looked up in surprise as his mother stepped closer to him and moved his arms out away from his body.

"Mom?"

"I can't give you specifics on how you are supposed to shift, but all wyvern learn how to on their own. I can give you some advice though. What is it that drives you to do anything?" She asked her son as he stared up her, confused.

"I... don't know," Ichigo replied and let his arms drop to his side.

Masaki moved and hugged her little boy, enclosing him in her warmth.

"Don't worry, Ichigo," she replied, smiling. "You'll find the answer eventually."'

END OF FLASHBACK

'What drives me to do anything?' Ichigo thought to himself, desperately searching for an answer.

He sat down at the sky, looking up at the stars as he thought. The twinkle of the stars reached him, bathing him in their soft glow. As he thought, he found his mind wandering as the twinkle of the stars glowed brighter.

'Strange,' he thought, laying down on the ground and watching the light from the stars flicker above him. 'The twinkle of the stars reminds me of the light I can see in Yuzu' s and Karin's eyes when they're-'

He stopped his train of thought short, something finally clicking in his mind. He sat up quickly, disturbing the dirt slightly as he moved to stand. Why hadn't he thought of it earlier? It was so blatantly obvious that he felt stupid for not reaching this conclusion immediately.

It was his family. The answer was that he always did everything for his family!

Ichigo took a deep breath, spreading out both of his arms away from his body. He began thinking about his family, how he would be able to do absolutely anything for them to make them happy and keep them out of harms way. As he did, he allowed his body to shift, limb to limb. He found his whole body moving on command and not hurting. No pain accompanied the transformation this time and he found that the feeling of his bones shifting underneath his skin felt oddly satisfying.

Within moments, everything around Ichigo seemed to shrink. The manor didn't look so big anymore and he could see over the forest around the area. Ichigo stared in wonder at himself, testing his wings and opening and closing his maw. After that, he moved his new tail experimentally, almost hitting the building.

Then, the full awareness of the situation finally hit his mind. He was a wyvern now; meaning that he's accomplished his goal!

Ichigo let our a soft roar of happiness, careful to make it soft enough to not disturb the sleeping members in the house. His excitement was cut short by the sudden feeling of dizziness that swept over him. He felt his body contracting back into human form and found himself laying on the ground. His limbs weak, Ichigo just decided to stay where he was and fell asleep from exhaustion.

Byakuya woke from his sleep, sensing something off about his environment. He noticed nothing was moved out of place in his room and felt that his home was undisturbed, but what could it be?

He reached out with his senses, finding that Ichigo was no longer in his room, but out in the training grounds. Pulling himself out of bed, Byakuya tightened his sleeping yukata around him and made his way towards the training grounds.

When he reached his destination, he saw something unfamiliar in its center. As he walked closer, he noticed that it was a body of what appeared to be a teenage soul reaper with longish brown, spiky hair, passed out on the ground. He narrowed his eyes at the figure, walking up to it. When he reached it, he nudged the figure a little bit too hard with his foot, waking the boy up

"What was that for?" The boy asked in a familiar voice, opening his blue eyes and looking up at Byakuya. "Byakuya? Why do you seem so angry?" The figure asked, sitting up. "And why does my whole body hurt?"

"State your name and the reason why you chose to trespass on private grounds," Byakuya stated, glaring down at the boy.

"Trespassing?" The figure asked, staring incredulously at the noble. "What the hell? You're letting me and my family stay here for crying out loud!"

"I believe I would have remembered if I let someone like you into my home," Byakuya stated. He pointed his fingers at the boy, getting ready to use kidou. "Now I demand you answer me. Why are you here?"

"I already told you!" The figure shouted, standing up quickly and causing a pice of his longish brown, spiky hair to fall in front of his eyes. The boy stopped his next statement, staring at the piece of hair in shock. He picked it up with his fingers, twisting it in his grasp as he also stared dumbfounded at his hands. "What the hell?!" The boy shouted. "How the hell did I get brown hair? And how did I get taller over night?!"

"I told you to answer me," Byakiya stated, placing his fingers on the boy's shoulder. "So unless you wish to have a hole in your shoulder, you best be telling me what I want to know."

"Alright, I understand your confusion now!" The boy stated, moving away from Byakuya's fingers. "But it's me, Ichigo!"

"Ichigo?" Byakuya asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Yah, that's me!" The boy cried out frantically. "This is going to sound stupid in some ways, but I went out to train in the middle of the night last night because I couldnt sleep. So I trained and trained and figured out what I was missing to turn into a wyvern and I finally completed my transformation! After that I just passed out in the training grounds because I was so exhausted! So don't point your fingers at me like you're trying to kill me!"

"Byakuya, you can stop trying to kill him. If you tried to sense his reitsu at all, you'd obviously have been able to tell that it's as out of control as Ichigo's notmally is."

Byakuya turned his head back towards the manor, noticing Aizen stepping out into the court yard. He turned back to the boy, reaching out with his senses and found that Aizen was right. This boy was Ichigo. But what had happened to the boy's appearance? His hair had completely changed and it looks almost just like Aizen's with some spike to it.

"I guess finally turning into a wyvern has brought out your true identity, hasn't it Ichigo?" Aizen asked, stapping closer to the flabbergasted boy.

"I... I guess," Ichigo states, sounding a bit dejected. "But I'm definitely going to miss my old hair. My hair is just too thin now."

"Well, you definately get that from your real father," a new voice said. Ichigo turned to see Masaki coming out into the courtyard with disheveled features.

"Mom? What are you doing awake?"

"I felt your distressed reitsu and I needed to see what's going on. It looks like it was just a little bit of confusion on how you look."

"I was nearly killed because I look a bit more like Aizen now," Ichigo complained slightly, sighing where he stood. "Besides, I had no idea that turning into a wyvern was going to give me my original body with different hair, so I was just as confused as Byakuya was when I found out."

"Byakuya-sama?" An attendant asked, stepping into the courtyard, yawning tiredly. "Would you like for me to prepare breakfast for you and your guests?"

"It would be greatly appreciated," Byakuya nodded, sending off the attendant to prepare breakfast.

"I guess we best wake everyone else-" Masaki started, only to be cut off by an alarm.

"Alert! Alert! There is a breach in the Seireitei! All captains and the Kurosaki family report for an emergency meeting. All other available personel find the ryouka and try to take them down. Alert! Alert!"

"Well, I guess we aren't going to be eating," Ichigo stated in dismay as his stomach growled in protest. He followed everyone to the squad one barracks and knew that this could be the begining of a full out war.


End file.
